,  V       -  -  roc 


The  University  of  Chicago  Publications 
IN    Religious   Education 

EDITtD   BY 

ERNEST  D.    BURTON  SHAILER   MATHEWS 

THEODORE   G.  SOARES 


CONSTRUCTIVE  STUDIES 


LIVES  WORTH  LIVING 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


THE  BAKER  &  TAYLOR  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


THE  CAMBRIDGE  UNIVERSITY  PRESS 

LONDON 

THE  MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA 

TOKYO,  OSAKA,  KYOTO,  FUKUOKA,  SENDAl 

THE  MISSION  BOOK  COMPANY 

SUANQHAl 


^IVES  WORTH 
LIVING 


STUDIES   OF   WOMEN,  BIBLICAL   AND  MODERN, 

ESPECIALLY  ADAPTED  lOR  GROUPS  OF  YOUNG 

WOMEN  IN  CHURCHES  AND  CLUBS 


By 

Emily  Clough  Peabody 
W 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


l.tC5rU/q<;/ 


Copyright  1915  By 
The  University  of  Chicago 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Published  August  1915 

Second  Impression  November  1915 

Third  Impression  September  1916 

Fourth  Impression  June  191 9 

Fifth  Impression  August  1920 

The  Bible  quotations  used  in  this  volume  are 
taken  from  the  American  Standard  Edition  o 
the  Revised  Bible,  copyright,  1901  by  Thomas 
Nelson  &  Sons,  and  used  by  permission. 


Composed  and  Printed  By 

The  University  of  Chicago  Press 

Chicago,  Illinois,  U.S.A. 


TO  THE 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CLASS  OF  YOUNG  WOMEN 

Of  South  Congregational  Church,  Chicago 

who  first  used  these  lessons 


EDITORS'  PREFACE 

The  present  volume  is  a  departure  in  some 
respects  from  the  type  represented  by  most  of  the 
•books  of  this  series,  but  in  a  direction  already  in 
part  forecast  by  Mr.  Johnson's  Problems  of  Boy- 
hood. It  finds  its  motive  and  unity,  not  in  that  it 
deals  with  a  single  book  of  the  Bible  or  a  certain 
period  of  biblical  history,  but  in  that,  like  Mr. 
Johnson's  book,  it  seeks  to  meet  the  needs  of  a 
special  class  in  the  community.  It  draws  the 
material  with  which  to  meet  these  needs  partly 
from  the  Bible,  but  partly  also  from  the  expe- 
riences of  those  who  have  lived  in  later  than  biblical 
times.  It  is  based  on  the  belief  that  God  is  the 
God  of  all  ages  and  lands,  and  that  all  human 
experience  has  lessons  of  wisdom  to  teach  those 
who  have  eyes  to  perceive  them. 

But  it  is  especially  characteristic  of  the  book 
that  it  aims  to  bring  the  young  women  who  study 
it  face  to  face  with  the  actual  conditions  of  the 
present-day  world  in  which  they  live,  and  to  help 
them  to  think  through  some  of  the  pressing  ques- 
tions with  which  they  and  their  sisters  have  to 
deal  today.  This  it  does,  not  simply  by  way  of 
illustration  or  incidental  application  of  biblical 
teaching,  but  as  a  vital  and  central  part  of  the 


X  Editors'  Preface 

study.  It  recognizes  the  transcendent  value  of  our 
sacred  Scriptures  for  instruction  and  inspiration, 
but  it  also  takes  account  of  the  necessity  that  we 
should  know  the  world  in  which  we  live  in  order  to 
know  how  to  conduct  ourselves  in  it.  Ignorance, 
not  simply  of  biblical  teachings  and  moral  prin-^ 
ciples,  but  of  present-day  facts,  is  the  mother  of 
much  suffering  on  our  part,  and  of  much  cruelty 
to  others. 

If  ever  we  have  half-consciously  cherished  the 
thought  that  such  studies  are  fitted  for  the  mas- 
culine but  not  for  the  feminine  mind,  we  can 
think  so  no  longer.  The  world  is  woman's  as  truly 
as  man's,  and  women  are  claiming  their  undoubted 
right  to  think  as  earnestly  and  seriously  about 
that  world  and  its  problems  as  their  brothers. 

Mrs.  Peabody  has  put  her  book  to  the  practical 
test  of  actual  use  with  a  class  of  young  women  in  a 
city  Sunday  school.  It  is  confidently  believed 
that  it  will  be  found  adapted  to  use  by  teachers 
in  other  schools  and  by  leaders  of  other  groups  of 
young  women.  The  attention  of  all  such  teachers 
and  leaders  is  called  to  the  "Suggestions  to  Teach- 
ers" contained  in  the  appendix. 


AUTHOR'S  FOREWORD 

The  lack  of  suitable  material  for  use  in  young 
women's  classes  in  Sunday  schools  and  clubs  has 
prompted  the  publishing  of  these  lessons  which  the 
author  has  used  with  success  in  her  own  classes  of 
young  women. 

The  growing  sense  of  personal  responsibility  and 
the  vision  of  a  world-wide  need  supply  to  older 
young  people  the  motive  for  a  life  of  service  and 
create  the  demand  for  wise  teaching  along  these 
lines.  Our  young  women  are  ready  to  devote  them- 
selves to  Christian  service  when  the  meaning  of  true 
Christian  womanhood  in  the  home,  the  church,  and 
the  community  is  revealed  to  them.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  study  of  biography  makes  the  strongest 
appeal.  We  are  all  influenced  more  by  "living, 
concrete  models  than  by  abstract  principles  of  vir- 
tue," and  by  what  Professor  Francis  Peabody,  of 
Harvard,  has  called  "the  contagion  of  personality 
which  draws  a  little  soul  toward  a  great  soul  as  a 
planet  is  drawn  in  its  orbit  round  the  sun," 

In  these  days  when  one  hears  so  much  about  the 
rights  of  woman,  it  seems  fitting  to  recall  some  of 
the  privileges  and  opportunities  that  have  always 
been  hers.  At  a  time  when  friendship  and  the 
home  are  so  easily  robbed  of  their  idealism,  and 


xii  Author's  Foreword 

when  public  life  reveals  so  much  selfishness  and  dis- 
honesty, we  need  to  show  our  young  people  that 
the  life  that  is  worth  living  is  the  one  lived  for  the 
betterment  of  someone  else.  In  the  hope  that  the 
significance  of  lives  that  are  worth  living  may  lead 
other  lives  into  noble  and  ennobling  service,  these 
lessons  offer  their  message  to  the  young  women  who 
shall  study  them. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  hereby  made  to 
Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons,  of  New  York,  for  permis- 
sion to  use  the  Standard  American  Edition  of  the 
Revised  Version  in  the  quotations  from  the  Bible; 
to  George  P.  Brown  &  Co.,  of  Beverly,  Massachu- 
setts; to  Underwood  &  Underwood,  of  New  York, 
and  others  for  the  use  of  illustrative  material. 
Emily  Clough  Peabody 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I 

LESSON  PAGE 

I.  Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend    .     .         i 
II.  Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship      .     .       13 

CHAPTER  II 

III.  Hannah — A  Noble  Mother 24 

IV.  Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Homi:       •     •     •       37 

CHAPTER  III 

V.  Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel      ...      48 
VI.  Woman's  Public  Influence 61 

CHAPTER  IV 

VII.  Ruth — The  Immigrant 72 

VIII.  Women  Immigrants  in  America    ....       84 

CHAPTER  V 

IX.  Lydia — A  Christian  Business  Woman    .     .     100 
X.  Woman's  Place  in  Industry 11 1 

CHAPTER  VI 

XI.    CORINNA     ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY     HeROINE 

OF  OORFA 130 

XII.  Florence  Nightingale — Pioneer  in  a  Pro- 
fession    145 

XIII.  Woman  AS  AN  Interpreter  OF  the  Faith     .     157 

APPENDIX 

Suggestions  for  Teachers 169 

xiii 


CHAPTER  I— LESSON  I 

MARY  OF  BETHANY— THE  TRUE  FRIEND 

The  Bible  Story 

Now  as  they  [Jesus  and  his  disciples]  went  on  their 
way,  he  [Jesus]  entered  into  a  certain  village:  and  a  cer- 
tain woman  named  Martha  received  him 
The  Home  at       .  a      i     i       i      i 

Bethany  and  Its  mto  her  house.     And  she  had  a  sister 

Distinguished  called  Mary,  who  also  sat  at  the  Lord's 
feet,  and  heard  his  word.  But  Martha 
was  cumbered  about  much  serving;  and  she  came  up 
to  him,  and  said.  Lord,  dost  thou  not  care  that  my  sister 
did  leave  me  to  serve  alone  ?  bid  her  therefore  that  she 
help  me.  But  the  Lord  answered  and  said  unto  her, 
Martha,  Martha,  thou  art  anxious  and  troubled  about 
many  things;  but  one  thing  is  needful:  for  Mary  hath 
chosen  the  good  part,  which  shall  not  be  taken  away 
from  her  (Luke  10:38-42). 

Now  Bethany  was  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen 

furlongs  ofif ;  and  many  of  the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha 

and   Mary,   to   console   them   concern- 
Mary  Meets        .  1    •     1        1 
Jesus  after  the   mg   their  brother.     Martha  therefore, 

Death  of  when  she  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming, 

Lazarus 

went  and  met  him:  but  Mary  still  sat 

in  the  house. 

Martha  therefore  said  tin  to  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst 

been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.     And  even  now  I 


Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend      3 

know  that,  whatsoever  thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God  will 
give  thee. 

Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again. 

Martha  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise 
again  in  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day. 

Jesus  said  unto  her,  I  am  the  resurrection,  and  the 
life:  he  that  believeth  on  me,  tliough  he  die,  yet  shall 
he  live;  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall 
never  die.     Believest  thou  this  ? 

She  saith  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord!  I  have  believed  that 
thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  even  he  that  Com- 
eth into  the  world. 

And  when  she  had  said  this,  she  went  away,  and 
called  Mary  her  sister  secretly,  saying.  The  Teacher  is 
here,  and  calleth  thee.  And  she,  when  she  heard  it, 
arose  quickly,  and  went  unto  him.  (Now  Jesus  was 
not  yet  come  into  the  village,  but  was  still  in  the  place 
where  Martha  met  him.) 

The  Jews  then  who  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and 
were  consoling  her,  when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose 
up  quickly  and  went  out,  followed  her,  supposing  that 
she  was  going  unto  the  tomb  to  weep  there.  Mary 
therefore,  when  she  came  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him, 
fell  down  at  his  feet,  saying  unto  him,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst 
been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died.  When  Jesus  there- 
fore saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weeping  who 
came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and  was  troubled, 
and  said,  Where  have  ye  laid  him  ?  They  say  unto  him. 
Lord,  come  and  see.  Jesus  wept.  The  Jews  therefore 
said,  Behold  how  he  loved  him!  (John  11:18-36). 


4  Lives  Worth  Living 

Jesus  therefore  six  days  before  the  Passover  came  to 

Bethany,  where  Lazarus  was,  whom  Jesus  raised  from 

the  dead.     So  they  made  him  a  supper 

Mary  and  Her  j-j^g^-g.  and  Martha  served;  but  Lazarus 
Alabaster  Box 

was  one  of  them  that  sat  at  meat  with 

him.  Mary  therefore  took  a  pound  of  ointment  of  pure 
nard,  very  precious,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and 
wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair:  and  the  house  was  filled 
with  the  odor  of  the  ointment.  But  Judas  Iscariot,  one 
of  his  disciples,  that  should  betray  him,  saith.  Why  was 
not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  shillings,  and 
given  to  the  poor  ?  Now  this  he  said,  not  because  he 
cared  for  the  poor;  but  because  he  was  a  thief,  and  hav- 
ing the  bag  took  away  what  was  put  therein.  Jesus 
therefore  said.  Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against  the  day  of 
my  burying.  For  the  poor  ye  have  always  with  you; 
but  me  ye  have  not  always  (John  12 : 1-8). 

Verily  I  say  unto  you,  Wheresoever  this  gospel  shall 
be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  that  also  which  this 
woman  hath  done  shall  be  spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of 
her  (Matt.  26:13;  cf.  Mark  14:3-9). 

An  Interpretation  of  the  Story 

In  the  hill  country,  two  miles  east  of  Jerusalem 
on  the  road  to  Jericho,  was  the  quiet  little  village  of 
Bethany,  with  its  flat-roofed  houses 
and  terraced  walls.  Surrounded  by 
olive  groves  and  fig  gardens  and  the  graceful  date 
palms,  which  probably  gave  the  place  its  name,  the 
village  nestled  among  the  rugged  slopes  of  the 
Mount  of  Olives  on  the  southeastern  side.    Bethany 


Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend      5 

was  never  remarkable,  either  for  its  wealth  or 
beauty;  but  it  has  become  memorable  as  the  place 
where  Jesus  loved  to  visit  his  three  friends,  Lazarus 
and  Mary  and  Martha. 


By  courtesy  of  i  / 


tiiny  utris,  L 


BETHANY 


Our  first  glimpse  of  this  home  is  when  the  sisters 
are  preparing  a  dinner  for  their  friend  Jesus  of 
„,    „         ,      Nazareth.     We  are  not  told  how  this 

The  Home  of  . 

the  Three  acquaintance  began,  but  it  ripened 

Friends  j^^^  strong  friendship,  for  Jesus  loved 

Martha  and  her  sister  and  Lazarus  (John  11:5). 
Therefore  it  must  have  been  a  home  where  the  best 


6  Lives  Worth  Living 

things  were  cherished  and  the  affairs  of  the  King- 
dom of  God  were  considered  of  highest  importance. 
Some  have  said  that  this  was  a  home  of  wealth. 
However  that  may  be,  we  know  that  riches  of  char- 
acter and  abundance  of  sympathy  were  to  be  found 
there,  gladdening  and  satisfying  the  lonely  man  of 
sorrows  who  often  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head 
(Luke  9:58). 

No  longer  able  to  make  his  home  in  Nazareth  and 
also  driven  out  of  GaHlee  and  Samaria,  the  home- 
less man,  who  had  less  than  the  foxes 
?I".**^,^''  and  the  birds  of  the  air  (Matt.  8:20), 

Ministry  ;  _  /  ^ 

always  found  a  welcome  in  this  family 
circle  at  Bethany. 

On  this  particular  occasion  Martha,  the  elder  sis- 
ter, sought  to  show  her  loyalty  and  devotion  by 
arranging  an  elaborate  dinner.  Her  gift  as  house- 
keeper suggested  her  way  of  ministering  to  Jesus, 
and  he  gratefully  accepted  it,  the  affection  of  her 
heart  expressing  itself  in  the  good  things  on  her 
table.  But,  anxious  as  to  the  success  of  the  feast, 
Martha  wanted  to  make  it  Mary's  way  of  minister- 
ing also,  and  was  annoyed  that  her  sister  should 
leave  her  to  serve  alone:  so  she  appealed  to  Jesus 
for  his  aid  in  securing  Mary's  assistance.  Martha 
had  not  yet  learned  that  Jesus  had  never  meant  his 
coming  to  bring  burden  and  anxiety  to  anyone. 

But  Mary,  as  she  assisted  in  the  preparations, 
heard  words  of  Jesus  that  made  her  forget  her  serv- 


Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend      7 

ing,  and  she  stood  and  listened  and  finally  sat  down 
at  his  feet.     Perhaps  Jesus    was    repeating    those 

words  spoken  first  to  his  disciples  at 
Devotfon  Jacob's  well  at  Sychar,  "My  meat  is 

to  do  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me  and 
to  accomplish  his  work  "  (John  4:34).  Or  possibly 
he  was  asking  again  that  searching  question,  "Is 
not  the  life  more  than  the  food  ?"  (Matt.  6: 25). 

We  are  not  told  just  what  he  was  saying ;  we  only 
know  that  Mary  as  she  listened  began  to  realize  that 
although  food  was  necessary  for  the  body,  even 
more  the  soul  needed  to  be  nourished;  and  that 
while  Jesus  would  enjoy  the  feast  spread  before  him, 
even  more  did  his  spirit  crave  companionship  and 
sympathy;  and  that  to  be  able  to  satisfy  the  soul- 
hunger  was  the  highest  form  of  hospitality.  So 
Mary  tried  to  look  within  the  veil  of  outward  things 
and  understand  what  was  deepest  and  most  sacred 
to  Jesus,  as  she  sat  at  his  feet  listening  to  his  words 
about  the  Kingdom. 

Now  Mary,  we  may  believe,  fully  appreciated 
that  Jesus  was  a  guest  in  her  home,  but  to  Martha 

she  did  not  seem  to  be  taking  her 

Jesus' Blessing  •  . 

share  m  his  entertamment.  1  o  Jesus, 
however,  her  part  was  the  richest  memory  of  the 
feast,  and  he  called  it  the  good  part — the  part  that 
lasts  (Luke  10:42;  John  6:27). 

What  is  said  of  Mary,  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of 
John  presents  a  character  similar  to  that  which 


8  Lives  Worth  Living 

Luke's  story  ascribes  to  her,    Martha,  the  energetic, 
capable  Martha,  was  the  one  who  first  heard  of 

the  arrival  of  Jesus  after  the  death  of 
ChYr^acter  Lazarus  and  hurried  out  to  meet  him ; 

but  Mary,  the  meditative  Mary,  still 
sat  in  the  house.  In  response  to  the  same  words 
spoken  by  both  sisters,  but  at  different  times 
("Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died"),  Jesus  gave  to  Martha  assurances  of  the 
life  everlasting,  but  with  Mary  he  wept. 

The  affection  of  the  Jewish  friends  who  came 
from  Jerusalem  to  comfort  the  sisters  gives  us  the 
same  impression  of  the  loving  influence  of  Mary 
upon  them.  They  linger  with  her  in  the  house; 
they  follow  as  she  goes  to  meet  Jesus;  they  weep 
as  she  weeps ;  and  some  even  come  to  believe  in  him 
whom  she  adores.  These  friends  were  not  the  com- 
mon paid  mourners  frequently  found  at  homes  of 
mourning  in  those  days.  They  were  family  friends 
from  among  the  ruling  class  of  the  Jews. 

Again  we  meet  Mary  at  a  feast.  It  is  at  Simon's 
house  after  Lazarus  was  restored  to  his  home,  and 

it  is  given  as  an  expression  of  the  sis- 
A  Later  Visit      ^      >   gratitude   for   what  Jesus  had 

to  Bethany  °  •'  ^ 

done  for  their  brother.  Jesus  and  his 
disciples  were  there  and  his  disciples  sat  with 
them. 

It  was  the  time  of  the  Passover,  and  while  many 
were  eagerly   questioning  whether  or   not  Jesus 


Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend      g 

would  appear  at  Jerusalem  (John   11:55-57),  he 

went  to  Bethany  for  a  quiet  Sabbath  in  preparation 

for  the  coming  week,  which  promised 

orPrLSp      ^°  ^^  ^^^  ^"^^^  o^  ^^^  ^^^^-     Recent 
events  had  elated  the  disciples  and 

assured  them  of  the  triumph  of  his  Kingdom.     But 

Jesus  knew  the  hatred  of   the  Pharisees,  which 

would   be   satisfied  with  nothing  but   his  death 

(John  11:45-53). 

Once  again  Mary  looked  within  the  veil  of  out- 
ward things  and  saw  what  no  one  else  realized. 
Although  rejoicing  in  her  brother's  presence  with 
them,  she  felt  the  pain  and  sorrow  in  the  heart  of 
her  friend.  Again  she  chose  that  good  part  and 
sought  to  comfort  Jesus  with  an  act  which  might 
symbolize  the  power  of  his  life  and  the  everlasting- 
ness  of  love. 

Kneeling  at  his  feet  Mary  broke  her  alabaster 

box  of  precious  ointment,   anointing  him.    The 

breaking  of  the  box  set  free  the  won- 
Mary's  Gift         • 

derful  fragrance  which  spread  until  it 

filled  the  house.     So  this  act  of  Mary  reminded 

Jesus  that  even  if  men  could  destroy  his  body 

they  had  no  power  over  his  spirit,  which  like  the 

fragrant  ointment  would  spread  abroad  until  it 

filled  the  world. 

"Except  a  grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth  and 

die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone;  but  if  it  die,  it  bear- 

eth  much  fruit"  (John  12:24),  he  told  his  disciples 


lo  Lives  Worth  Living 

a  few  days  later.  So  Jesus  understood  Mary,  and 
her  act  comforted  him,  for  he  said  of  her,  "She 
hath  wrought  a  good  work  upon  me.  Wheresoever 
this  gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world, 
that  also  which  this  woman  hath  done  shall  be 
spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of  her"  (Matt.  26: 
10-14). 

There  is  a  real  fascination  about  that  Bethany 
home.     And  the  reason  for  it  is  the  picture  it  gives 

us  of  the  best  thing  in  the  world — 
f^rFdendsmp'*  t^^e  friendship.     Mary's  life  has  the 

charm  of  one  who  forgets  self  in 
thought  for  another.  Her  gift  "was  not  so  much 
sympathy  as  the  power  to  detect  in  those  whom  she 
met  what  was  the  main  thing  to  be  sympathized 
with"  (Matheson).  Of  all  that  company  of  dis- 
ciples she,  more  than  anyone  else,  appreciated  the 
deepest  longings  of  Jesus.  Her  power  may  well  be 
called  an  instinct  for  friendship,  for  she  understood 
whether  an  unburdening  of  heart  or  an  alabaster 
box  was  needed. 

The  world  today  needs  its  Marys  to  help  teach 
the  lesson  of  friendship.     Long  after  the  menu  has 

been  forgotten,  the  companionship 
Our  Opportunity  ^I^Q^^  the  table  remains  the  richest 

in  Friendship 

part  of  any  feast.  This  is  always  true 
if  there  is  present  some  Mary  able  to  detect  and 
satisfy  what  is  deepest  in  the  life  of  the  guest. 
It  is  no  new  thought  that  the  Christian  life  is 


Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend     ii 

fundamentally  a  deepening   friendship  with   God 
and  man. 

Central  Idea  of  the  Story 

Mary's  ability  as  a  true  friend  to  enter  into  sym- 
pathy with  what  was  deepest  and  most  sacred  to 
Jesus. 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

Questions  marked  with  an  asterisii  (*)  arc  intended  to  give  the 
pupil  opportunity  for  special  thought  and  investigation,  in  the 
week  following  the  lesson. 

1.  Locate  and  describe  the  village  of  Bethany  and  its 
surroundings. 

2.  Picture  the  probable  home  hfe  of  Lazarus  and  his  ^V/^ , 
sisters. 

3.  What  must  it  have  meant  in  those  days  to  be  one 
of  the  prominent  families  in  a  suburb  of  Jerusalem  ? 

4.  Describe  the  several  visits  of  Jesus  to  Bethany.   '- V*/<)  ■^Xtc«(^,. 

5.  What  differing  forms  of  ministry  did  the  Bethany 
home  offer  ?  '      .     . 

6.  What  circumstances  in  Jesus'  life  at  that  time 
made  the  joys  of  such  a  home  ajipeal  especially 
to  him? 

7.  What  action  of  the  Sanhedrin  was  occasioned  by 
an  incident  in  the  Bethany  home?     (John  11:45-53.) 

8.  Why  was  it  that  Mary  understood  the  imminent 
danger  of  the  Master  better  than  any  of  "  the  Twelve  "  ? 

/  9.  Analyze  the  character  of  Mary  and  decide 
whether  or  not  she  had  special  gifts.  How  did  Jesus 
feel  about  it  ? 


12  Lives  Worth  Living 

lo.  Was  anything  necessary  on  the  part  of  Jesus 
before  Mary  could  offer  her  friendship  ?         "YAuc^  71  > 
V       II.  What  has  Jesus  said  in  regard  to  his  friends? 

(John  15:13-17.)    ,:    •  .    'J 
>        12.  Is  Mary's  ministry  one  that  is  needed  today? 
If  so,  how  may  it  be  cultivated?  V,- .>„i  /,'  ^ 

V'  13.  What  are  the  qualities  of  true  friendship  ? 
•»r*i4.  How  sacred  a  thing  is  friendship  to  us? 

15.  Why  is  it  that  often  the  most  elaborate  enter- 
tainment fails  to  satisfy  ? 

*i6.  How  large  is  our  world  when  measured  by  our 
friendships  ? 

*i'j.  Note  the  opportunities  for  friendship  that  come 
to  you  in  your  daily  life  this  week,  and  in  what  ways 
they  are  an  enrichment. 

Reference  Books 

Books  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  should  be  read  by  as 
many  of  the  class  as  possible.  Books  marked  with  a  dagger  (f) 
are  in  pamphlet  form.  This  statement  refers  not  only  to  this 
but  to  all  succeeding  lists. 

Bird,  Robert,  Jesus,  the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth. 

Burton,  Henry,  The  Expositor's  Bible,  "Luke,"  chap.  xx. 
*Dawson,  George  W.,  The  Life  of  Christ. 

tDungan,  Irvine  L.,   The  Master's  Bethany.     Bethany  Depart- 
ment, Winona  Assembly,  4009  Lake  Park  Ave.,  Chicago. 

Hastings,  James,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  article  "Mary." 

Kent,  Charles  F.,  Biblical  Geography  and  History. 

Matheson,  George,  Representative  Women  of  the  Bible,  chap.  xi. 

Phelps,  Elizabeth  Stuart,  The  Story  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Smith,  George  Adam,  The  Historical  Geography  of  the  Holy  Land. 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship     13 

CHAPTER  I— LESSON  II 
Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship 

"The  problem  of  life  is  the  problem  of  friendship."' 

All  that  I  know 

Of  a  certain  star 
Is,  it  can  throw 

(Like  the  angled  spar) 
Now  a  dart  of  red, 

Now  a  dart  of  blue: 
TUl  my  friends  have  said 

They  would  fain  see,  too. 
My  star  that  dartles  the  red  and  the  blue ! 

Then  it  stops  like  a  bird;  like  a  flower  hangs  furled; 
They  must  solace  themselves  with  the  Saturn  above  it. 

What  matter  to  me  if  their  star  is  a  world  ? 
Mine  has  opened  its  soul  to  me;  therefore,  I  love  it.' 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

The  enlargement  of  our  world  by  intimacy  with: 
(i)  nature;   (2)  literature;   (3)  art;   (4)  music. 

Cultivation  of  opportunities  for  friendship  with 
people  in:  (i)  our  work;  (2)  our  recreation;  (3)  our 
homes;   (4)  our  church;   (5)  our  conamunity. 

Being  a  "friend  of  God"  (John  15:1-27;  Exod. 
33:11). 

'  Henry  Churchill  King,  Greatness  and  Simplicity  of  the  Chris- 
tian Faith,  p.  84. 

'  Robert  Browning,  "My  Star." 


14  Lives  Worth  Living 

General  Survey^ 

The  preceding  lesson  revealed  through  IMary  of 
Bethany  the  meaning  of  true  friendship,  and  sug- 
gested that  our  lives  may  be  measured  by  our  friend- 
ships. The  purpose  of  today's  lesson  is  to  help  us 
broaden  and  enrich  our  lives,  so  that  we  may  be 
able  to  recognize  the  varying  opportunities  for 
friendship  as  they  come  through  the  routine  of 
daily  living. 

Therefore,  this  lesson  is  the  practical  apphcation 
of  the  spirit  of  Mary  of  Bethany  to  our  own  lives, 
in  our  homes,  our  work,  our  recreation,  our  church, 
and  our  community.  Mary's  gift  appeared  in  the 
simple,  unplanned-for  events  in  her  own  home  and 
that  of  a  neighbor;  but  wherever  the  gospel  is 
preached  today  her  spirit  of  friendship  is  known. 
So  our  daily  lives,  "the  product  of  the  infinite 
ingenuity  of  God,"  may  open  to  us  at  the  most 
unexpected  moments  opportunities  for  priceless 
friendships  with  the  world  about  us.  This  is  likely 
to  be  true  in  proportion  as  our  own  lives  are  deep 
and  rich  and  we  are  capable  of  appreciating  the  deep 
and  sacred  things  in  others.  Therefore,  we  should 
strive  for  the  largest  possible  enrichment  of  our  own 
personality  through  an  acquaintance  with  the  world 
of  nature,  literature,  art,  God,  and  his  children. 

•  To  be  read  or  reviewed  in  the  class  as  a  basis  for  questions 
and  discussions. 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship      15 

Let  us  begin  with  nature  and  consider  how  things 
ioved  cease  to  be  mere  things  and  seem  to  possess 
almost  a  personal  character.  One  who  can  count 
among  his  friends  the  birds,  the  sky,  the  trees,  and 
flowers  looks  out  upon  a  very  different  world  from 
the  person  who  has  given  no  thought  to  these  things. 
"The  value  of  an  education  is  not  to  make  us  seem 
to  be  greater  to  the  world,  but  that  the  world  and 
all  life  may  seem  greater  to  us."  "The  man  or 
woman  who  sees  that  the  fossil  fern  is  a  letter  in  the 
alphabet  of  God's  great  book  of  nature;  who  hears 
with  his  own  ears  the  morning  stars  singing  to- 
gether, may  not  appear  to  those  about  him  any 
better  off  or  any  more  fortunate  than  the  man  who 
has  never  heard  that  these  things  exist,  but  he  is 
richer,  he  is  more  fortunate,  a  thousand  fold." 

Hast  thou  named  all  the  birds  without  a  gun  ? 
Loved  the  wood  rose  and  left  it  on  its  stalk  ? 
Oh,  be  my  friend  and  teach  me  to  be  thine!' 

Two  travelers  went  into  the  Swiss  mountains  foi 
their  holiday.  On  their  return  their  friends  gath- 
ered about  them  and  the  poet  tells  us — 

'Twas  a  buzz  of  questions  on  every  side, 
"What  have  you  seen?    Do  tell!"  they  cried. 

The  one  with  yawning  made  reply, 
"What  have  we  seen  ?    Not  much  have  I. 

Trees,  mountains,  meadows,  groves  and  streams, 

Blue  sky  and  clouds  and  sunny  gleams." 

'  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  "Forbearance." 


1 6  Lives  Worth  Living 

The  other,  smiling,  said  the  same, 
But  with  face  transfigured  and  eye  of  flame. 
"  Trees,  mountains,  meadows,  groves  and  streams, 
Blue  sky  and  clotids  and  sunny  gleams. ^^ 

For  those  living  in  the  country,  nature  may 
speak  in  a  thousand  different  tongues,  while  the 
city  dweller  has  parks  and  parkways,  roof  gardens 
and  window  boxes,  with  occasional  trips  beyond  the 
city  limits.  These,  together  with  the  clouds,  the 
stars,  and  the  trees,  render  humble  but  suggestive 
service  to  those  who  have  the  eyes  to  see,  the  ears 
to  hear,  and  the  heart  to  appreciate. 

The  beauties  of  nature  which  you  crave  and  fail 
to  find  in  the  world  about  you  may  be  appreciated 
through  hterature.  Cultivate  a  friendship  with 
books  and  let  your  heart  dance  with  Wordsworth's 
"Daffodils"  and  sing  with  his  "Skylark."  Brown- 
ing's "My  Star,"  Whittier's  ."Snowbound,"  and 
Sidney  Lanier's  "Song  of  the  Chattahoochee"  give 
us  entrance  to  that  world  of  nature  where 

One  moment  now  may  give  us  more 
Than  fifty  years  of  reason; 
Our  minds  shall  drink  at  every  pore 
The  spirit  of  the  season.' 

Establish  friendships  with  the  philosophers  and 
the  sages  as  well  as  with  the  poets.  "  I  love  to  lose 
myself  in  other  men's  minds,"  wrote  Charles  Lamb, 
and  Anthony  Trollope  said :  "  Booklore,  my  friends, 

'  William  Wordsworth,  "To  My  Sister." 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship     17 

is  your  pass  to  one  of  the  greatest,  the  purest,  and 
the  most  perfect  pleasures  that  God  has  prepared 
for  his  creatures."  "Literature  presents  the  ideal 
of  human  Hfe  as  it  has  expressed  itself  in  the  great 
institutions  of  family,  state,  church,  and  society. 
To  feed  the  mind  on  ideals  of  a  noble,  elevated 
human  life ;  to  win  fidelity  to  one's  family  through 
sweet  pictures  of  pure  household  joys;  to  secure 
loyalty  by  thrilling  accounts  of  the  deeds  of  brave 
men  and  heroic  women;  to  make  righteousness 
attractive  by  pointed  fable  or  pithy  proverb  or  strik- 
ing tale  of  self-sacrificing  fidelity  to  the  costly  right 
against  the  profitable  wrong;  to  inflame  with  the 
desire  to  emulate  the  example  of  patriot,  martyr, 
and  philanthropist — this  is  the  social  mission  of 
good  literature."' 

Consider  also  the  delight  that  comes  through 
familiarity  with  the  world  of  art  and  music.  If  you 
are  so  fortunate  as  to  have  access  to  an  art  gallery 
or  to  S3anphony  concerts  make  every  use  of  these 
opportunities  to  enrich  your  life.  For  those  denied 
these  privileges  the  inexpensive  copies  of  the  pic- 
tures by  the  old  masters  and  the  numerous  musical 
inventions  by  which  the  power  of  Wagner,  the 
sweetness  of  Mendelssohn,  and  even  the  expressive 
interpretation  of  a  Schumann-Heink  are  a  worthy 
substitute.  To  be  able  to  recognize  the  genius  and 
spirit  of  a  Corot;  to  hum  a  theme  from  a  Beethoven 

'  W.  DeW.  Hyde. 


1 8  Lives  Worth  Living 

symphony  or  a  MacDowell  music-poem  helps 
make  the  world  of  music  and  art  a  friendly  place 
in  which  to  live.  For  by  all  these  experiences 
one  is  entering  into  fellowship  with  noble  and 
gifted  souls. 

But  good  as  are  nature  and  books  and  art,  our 
sources  of  greatest  happiness  are  found  in  our  direct 
relations  with  living  persons;  for  most  experiences 
of  life  come  through  others.  He  who  opens  his 
heart  in  sympathy  with  art  and  nature  is  the  one 
who  appreciates  most  truly  their  hidden  meaning. 
So  with  persons:  we  become  the  ideal  friend  when, 
like  Mary  of  Bethany,  we  are  able  to  enter  into 
sympathy  with  what  is  deepest  and  most  sacred  in 
the. life  of  another. 

Therefore,  consider  the  questions:  "What  is  my 
relation  to  those  about  me,  from  the  grocer's  boy 
who  comes  every  morning,  to  the  new  family  just 
around  the  corner  whom  I  have  met  but  once  ? " 
"Have  I  earned  the  privilege  to  be  a  true  friend  to 
anyone  and  do  I  leave  a  feeling  of  friendliness  in  the 
hearts  of  others  when  I  have  spoken  with  them  ?" 
"Am  I  able  to  meet  the  smile,  the  tear,  or  the  ges- 
ture which  may  be  their  means  of  self-revelation, 
with  an  answering  sympathy  and  friendliness?" 

The  following  are  Alice  Freeman  Palmer's  sug- 
gestions for  enriching  one's  life:  "(i)  Commit 
something  to  memory  every  day.  (2)  Look  for 
something  beautiful  every  day.     (3)  Do  something 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship      19 

for  somebody  every  day."  What  new  worlds  we 
should  enter  if  we  followed  these  suggestions! 

The  saleswoman  in  a  department  store  felt  a 
sense  of  personal  loss  when  the  minister's  wife,  who 
had  been  a  customer,  moved  away.  The  only 
means  of  acquaintance  had  been  the  occasional  fit- 
ting of  a  suit,  but  it  gave  the  opportunity  for 
friendly  courtesy  and  consideration.  There  is  a 
big,  hungry  world  all  about  us,  eager,  not  so  much 
for  the  delicacies  from  Martha's  table,  as  for  the 
joys  of  Mary's  feast. 

Recall  the  incidents  of  yesterday  in  your  own  life 
and  consider  whether  there  is  a  kindly  feeling  in 
someone's  heart  today  because  your  life  touched 
theirs;  also  whether  your  life  has  been  made  richer 
by  someone's  friendly  word  or  smile. 

Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road 

Where  the  race  of  men  go  by — 
They  are  good,  they  are  bad,  they  are  weak,  they  are  strong, 

Wise,  foolish — so  am  I. 
Then  why  should  I  sit  in  the  scorner's  seat 

Or  hurl  the  cynic's  ban  ? 
Let  me  live  in  my  house  by  the  side  of  the  road 

And  be  a  friend  to  man.' 

Analyze  the  friendship  of  Mary,  the  Mother  of 
Jesus,  and  her  cousin  Elizabeth;  Robert  Browning 
and  his  wife  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning;  Maggie 
and  Tom  Tulliver  in  George  Eliot's  Mill  on  the 
Floss;  also  some  heroine  of  a  modern  novel. 

'  Samuel  W.  Foss,  "The  House  by  the  Side  of  the  Road." 


20  Lives  Worth  Living 

Consider  your  own  friendship  for  your  "chum," 
your  teacher,  your  neighbor,  your  favorite  character 
in  history,  and  try  to  decide  what  is  the  basis  of 
friendship  in  each  particular  case.  Think  of  others 
whose  friendship  would  ennoble  your  life  and  of 
still  others  whom  your  friendship  would  gladden, 
and  consider  ways  in  which  the  revelation  of  one's 
deepest  interest  and  sympathies  may  be  met  by  the 
genuine  trust  and  appreciation  of  others. 

Review  your  own  life  or  any  other  that  you  know 
intimately,  and  prove  the  statement  of  President 
King  at  the  beginning  of  the  lesson,  "The  problem 
of  life  is  the  problem  of  friendship." 

The  highest  satisfaction  in  our  friendship  with 
others  depends  upon  that  greatest  friendship  of  all 
— our  friendship  with  God.  Nothing  less  than  the 
culmination  of  all  our  friendships  in  him  can  satisfy 
the  deepest  needs  of  our  life.  Hence  the  cup  of 
cold  water  given  in  the  name  of  Christ  becomes  the 
symbol  of  discipleship ;  while  Christ's  own  words, 
"  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of  these  my  breth- 
ren, even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me,"  are  our 
trumpet  call  to  a  life  of  service.  But,  as  Washing- 
ton Gladden  says,  "Religion  is  friendship — friend- 
ship first  with  the  Great  Companion,  of  whom  Jesus 
told  us,  who  is  always  nearer  to  us  than  we  are  to 
ourselves,  and  whose  inspiration  and  help  is  the 
greatest  fact  of  human  experience.  To  be  in  har- 
mony with  his  purposes,  to  be  open  to  his  sugges- 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship      21 

tions,  to  be  in  conscious  fellowship  with  him — this 
is  religion  on  its  Godward  side.  Then  turning  man- 
ward,  friendship  sums  it  all  up.  To  be  friends  with 
everybody;  to  fill  every  human  relation  with  the 
spirit  of  friendship;  is  there  anything  more  than 
this  that  the  wisest  and  best  of  men  can  hope  to 
do  ? "  For  "every  genuine  love  is  both  an  evidence 
of  the  divine  love  and  a  preparation  for  it.  If  the 
true  life  is  the  life  of  love,  we  must  learn  it,  not 
apart  from  men  but  among  them.  We  draw  near 
to  God  as  we  draw  near  to  others.  Our  religious 
life  is  simply  a  deepening  acquaintance  or  friendship 
with  God.'" 

For  Continued  Thought 

How  may  you  and  I  enrich  our  lives  and  those  of 
others  by  cultivating  a  "gift  for  friendship"? 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

I.  Recall  the  gift  for  friendship  of  Mary  of  Bethany 
and  the  different  ways  in  which  it  found  expression. 
i  2.  Are  friendships  a  fundamental  element  of  life? 
If  you  think  so,  why  ? 
•/   3.  What  is  the  basis  of  any  true  friendship? 

4.  Are  our  deepest  friendships  usually  within  the 
home? 

^  5.  What  do  we  confess  when  we  say  we  have  but  few 
friends  ? 

'  H.  C.  King,  Greatness  and  Simplicity  of  the  Christian  Faith. 


22  Lives  Worth  Living 

6.  What  relation  does  friendship  with  God  bear  to 
all  other  friendships  of  life  ? 

''    7.  Compare  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  life  with 
the  beginning  of  the  highest  type  of  friendship. 
/^  8.  Give  examples  from  history  and  literature  of 
women  as  ideal  friends. 

I J  9.  Do  you  think  that  opportunities  in  friendship 
come  more  naturally  to  women  than  to  men,  or  that 
women  have  a  greater  gift  for  true  friendship  ?  What 
of  the  friendship  of  David  and  Jonathan?  (I  Sam., 
chaps.  18-20.) 

10.  What  opportunities  have  you  to  enrich  your  life 
by  sympathetic  appreciation  of  nature,  art,  literature, 
and  music? 

*ii.  How  rich  a  personality  are  you  able  to  offer  to 
your  friends  ? 

*i2.  Someone  has  said  that  "the  purpose  of  educa- 
tion is  not  to  make  a  living,  but  to  make  a  life."  How 
may  this  thought  ennoble  our  friendships?  In  what 
way  may  it  broaden  them  ? 

*i3.  Trace  the  symbolical  meaning  in  the  scenery 
and  circumstances  of  Robert  Browning's  poem,  "By 
.  the  Fireside,"  a  monologue  addressed  by  "  a  happy  hus- 
band to  his  perfect  wife." 

Reference  Books 

Black,  Hugh,  Friendship. 

Browning,  Robert,  Life  and  Letters  of  Elizabeth  Barrett  Browning. 
Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  Essay  on  Friendship. 
Emory,  Sarah  M.,  How  to  Enjoy  Pictures. 

*King,  Henry  Churchill,  Friendship;  and  The  Greatness  and  Sim- 
plicity of  the  Christian  Faith. 


Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship      23 

Mathews,  W.  S.  B.,  How  to  Understand  Music. 

McKinley,  Charles  E.,  Educational  Evangelism,  chap.  x. 
*Palmer,  George  Herbert,  Life  of  Alice  Freeman  Palmer. 

Parsons,  Frances,  How  to  Know  the  Wild  Flowers.     Also  other 
nature  books. 

Poems  of  Robert  Browning,  Lowell,  Riley,  Wordsworth,  and 
others. 

The  Bible:  Mary's  Visit  to  Elizabeth  (Luke  1:39-57). 

Van  Dyke,  John  C,  The  Meaning  of  Pictures. 

Works  of  Dickens,  George  Eliot,  Hawthorne,  Kipling,  Shake- 
speare, and  others. 


CHAPTER  II— LESSON  III 

HANNAH— A  NOBLE  MOTHER 

The  Bible  Story 

Now    there    was   a    certain    man    of    Ramathaim- 

zophim,  of  the  hill-country  of  Ephraim,  and  his  name 

was    Elkanah  ....  and    he    had    two 
Hannah's  Home 

Wives;  the  name  oi  the  one  was  Hannah, 

and  the  name  of  the  other  Peninnah:    and  Peninnah 

had   children,    but   Hannah    had    no   children.     And 

this  man  went  up  out  of  his  city  from  year  to  year  to 

worship  and  to  sacrifice  unto  Jehovah  of  hosts  in  Shiloh. 

And  the  two  sons  of  Eli,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  priests 

unto  Jehovah,  were  there  (I  Sam.  1:1-3). 

And  when  the  day  came  that  Elkanah  sacrificed, 

he  gave  to  Peninnah  his  wife,  and  to  all  her  sons  and 

her     daughters,     portions:      but     unto 

Hannah  s  Hannah  he  gave  a  double  portion ;    for 

he  loved  Hannah  [although  she  had  no 

children].     And  her  rival  provoked  her  sore,  to  make 

her  fret,  because  [she  had  no  children].     And  .... 

year  by  year,   when   she   went   up   to   the   house  of 

Jehovah,  so  she  [Peninnah]  provoked  her;    therefore 

she  [Hannah]  wept,  and  did  not  eat.     And  Elkanah 

her  husband  said    unto   her,    Hannah,   why   weepest 

thou?   and   why   eatest   thou   not?   and  why   is   thy 

heart  grieved  ?  am  not  I  better  to  thee  than  ten  sons  ? 

(I  Sam.  1:4-8.) 

24 


Hannah — A  Noble  Mother 


25 


So  Hannah  rose  uj)  after  they  had  eaten  in  Shiloh, 
and  after  they  had  drunk.  Now  Eli  the  priest  was 
Hannah's  sitting  upon  his  seat  by  the  door-post 

Prayer  and  the    of   the   temple   of   Jehovah.     And   she 
IS  a  e  0      1    ^^,^g  jj^   bitterness  of  soul,  and  prayed 
unto  Jeho\'ah,  and  wept  sore.     And  she  \'0wed  a  \'ow, 


Broiiii's  Pictures— Miiuiiture—joi  upic 

CHILD  SAMUEL  PRESENTED  TO  ELI 

and  said,  O  Jehovah  of  hosts,  if  thou  wilt  indeed  look 
on  the  affliction  of  thy  handmaid,  and  remember  me, 
and  not  forget  thy  handmaid,  but  wilt  give  unto  thy 
handmaid  a  man-child,  then  I  will  give  him  unto 
Jehovah  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  there  shall  no 
razor  come  upon  his  head. 


26  Lives  Worth  Living 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  she  continued  praying  before 
Jehovah,  that  Eli  marked  her  mouth.  Now  Hannah, 
she  spake  in  her  heart;  only  her  lips  moved,  but  her 
voice  was  not  heard:  therefore  Eli  thought  she  had 
been  drunken.  And  Eli  said  unto  her.  How  long  wilt 
thou  be  drunken?  put  away  thy  wine  from  thee. 
And  Hannah  answered  and  said.  No,  my  lord,  I  am  a 
woman  of  a  sorrowful  spirit:  I  have  drunk  neither  wine 
nor  strong  drink,  but  I  poured  out  my  soul  before 
Jehovah.  Count  not  thy  handmaid  for  a  wicked 
woman;  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  my  complaint 
and  my  provocation  have  I  spoken  hitherto.  Then 
Eli  answered  and  said,  Go  in  peace;  and  the  God 
of  Israel  grant  thy  petition  that  thou  hast  asked 
of  him.  And  she  said,  Let  thy  handmaid  find  favor 
in  thy  sight.  So  the  woman  went  her  way,  and 
did  eat;  and  her  countenance  was  no  more  sad 
(I  Sam.  1:9-18). 

And  they  rose  up  in  the  morning  early,  and  wor- 
shipped before  Jehovah,  and  returned,  and  came  to 
their  house  to  Ramah:  ....  And 
Jehovah  remembered  [Hannah].  And 
it  came  to  pass,  when  the  time  was  come  about, 
that  Hannah  ....  bare  a  son;  and  called  his 
name  Samuel,  saying.  Because  I  have  asked  him  of 
Jehovah. 

And  the  man  Elkanah,  and  all  his  house,  went  up 
to  offer  unto  Jehovah  the  yearly  sacrifice,  and  his  vow. 
But  Hannah  went  not  up;  for  she  said  unto  her  hus- 
band, I  will  not  go  up  until  the  child  be  weaned;  and 
then  I  will  bring  him,  that  he  may  appear  before 


Hannah — A  Noble  Mother  27 

Jehovah,  and  there  abide  forever.  And  Elkanah  her 
husband  said  unto  her,  Do  what  seemeth  thee  good; 
tarry  until  thou  have  weaned  him;  only  Jehovah 
establish  his  word.  So  the  woman  tarried  and  gave 
her  son  suck,  until  she  weaned  him  (I  Sam.  1:19-23). 

And  when  she  had  weaned  him,  she  took  him  up 
with  her,  with  three  bullocks,  and  one  ephah  of  meal, 
and  a  bottle  of  wine,  and  brought  him 
Her  vl)V"^^'  unto  the  house  of  Jehovah  in  Shiloh: 
and  the  child  was  young.  And  they 
slew  the  bullock,  and  brought  the  child  to  Eli.  And 
she  said,  Oh,  my  lord,  as  thy  soul  liveth,  my  lord,  I 
am  the  woman  that  stood  by  thee  here,  praying  unto 
Jehovah.  For  this  child  I  prayed;  and  Jehovah  hath 
given  me  my  petition  which  I  asked  of  him:  therefore 
also  I  have  granted  him  to  Jehovah;  as  long  as  he 
liveth  he  is  granted  to  Jehovah,  And  he  [Elkanah  and 
his  household]  worshipped  Jehovah  there  (I  Sam. 
1:24-28), 

But  Samuel  ministered  before  Jehovah,  being  a  child, 
girded  with  a  linen  ephod.  Moreover  his  mother  made 
Hannah's  ^^"^  ^  little  robe,  and  brought  it  to  him 

Devotion  and  from  year  to  year,  when  she  came  up 
Its  Reward  ^^^^  ^^^  husband  to  ofifer  the  yearly 
sacrifice.  And  Eli  blessed  Elkanah  and  his  wife,  and 
said,  Jehovah  give  thee  seed  of  this  woman  for  the 
petition  which  was  asked  of  Jehovah.  And  they  went 
unto  their  own  home.  And  Jehovah  visited  Hannah 
and  she  ....  bare  three  sons  and  two  daughters. 
And  the  child  Samuel  grew  before  Jehovah  (I  Sam. 
2:18-21). 


28  Lives  Worth  Living 

An  Interpretation  of  the  Story 

Hannah  was  one  of  the  two  wives  of  a  wealthy 

Hebrew    of    an    honorable    family.     Their    home 

amoner   the   heights   of   Ramathaim- 

Hannah's  Home  .  .    . 

zophnn  was  religious  in  so  far  as  the 
outward  observance  of  feasts  and  ceremonies  was 
concerned,  but  its  inner  life  was  full  of  bitterness 
and  discord.  This  was  due,  in  large  measure,  to 
the  jealous  rivalries  of  polygamy,  a  practice  which 
the  Hebrews  at  this  time  shared  in  common  with 
other  ancient  nations. 

That  Peninnah,  the  second  wife,  was  the 
mother  of  several  children,  while  Hannah  had  none, 
was  the  occasion  of  constant  taunts  and  reproaches. 
To  those  early  Hebrews  motherhood  was  the  crown 
of  womanhood,  while  "a  woman's  kingdom  was 
the  woman's  family;  her  empire  was  her  mother- 
hood ;  her  metropolis  was  her  nursery ;  her  colonies 
were  her  children's  children"  (George  Matheson). 
The  ambition  of  many  a  Jewish  woman  was  to  be 
the  mother  of  a  prophet  or  a  judge  in  Israel,  and 
to  have  no  share  in  the  "coming  generation" 
seemed  a  sign  of  one's  unworthiness  in  God's  sight. 
Knowing  this  to  be  true,  Peninnah  aimed  all  her 
blows  at  this  open  wound  in  Hannah's  heart,  choos- 
ing even  the  sacred  time  of  the  religious  festivals 
at  Shiloh  for  her  heartless  words. 

Elkanah  seemed  not  to  appreciate  either  tho 
disappointment  of  Hannah  or  the  cruelty  of  Penin 


Hannah — A  Noble  Mother  29 

nah,  and  tried  to  bring  about  peace  and  happiness 
in  his  home  by  gifts  and  assurances  of  affection. 
But  his  kindness  only  increased  the  jealousy  of 
Peninnah  whose  bitter  tongue  continued  to  taunt 
Hannah  with  her  childlessness.  Year  by  year  this 
went  on  until  at  last  Hannah's  wounded  heart 
could  bear  it  no  longer.  The  climax  came  at  the 
time  of  the  yearly  festival  at  Shiloh  which  Elkanah 
attended  with  all  his  family.  As  head  of  the  house- 
hold he  followed  the  custom  of  offering  a  sacrifice,  a 
part  of  which  was  kept  by  the  priests  and  the  rest 
was  given  back  to  the  worshiper  that  he  and  his 
family  might  feast  on  it  as  a  part  of  their  worship.^ 
The  distribution  of  the  portions  of  this  feast  so 
roused  the  jealous  hatred  of  Peninnah  that  she 
poured  forth  on  Hannah  words  of  anger  and  deri- 
sion, seemingly  forgetful  that  this  was  a  most 
solemn  season.  So  overcome  with  grief  was 
Hannah  that  she  left  the  sacred  feast  untasted, 
and  wept  bitterly.  Elkanah,  kind  but  failing  to 
understand,  tried  to  comfort  her:  "Hannah,  why 
weepest  thou  ?  and  why  eatest  thou  not  ?  and 
why  is  thy  heart  grieved  ?  Am  I  not  better  to 
thee  than  ten  sons?"  But  Hannah  found  no 
comfort  until,  like  many  another  godly  Hebrew, 
she  found  it  in  prayer.  The  very  intensity  of  her 
grief  sent  her  to  the  "temple  of  Jehovah."     We 

'  Consult  Hastings,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  under  the  word 
"Sacrifice."     Elkanah's  offering  was  evidently  a  peace-offering. 


30  Lives  Worth  Living 

are  drawn  to  this  woman  whose  love  of  home  and 
of  children  was  so  strong.  Our  hearts  are  moved 
as  we  behold  her,  kneeling  alone  and  with  tears, 
pouring  out  her  soul.  Her  distress  deceives  the 
priest,  Eli,  who  makes  an  accusation  which  a 
woman  of  her  sensitive  nature  would  resent.  Her 
self-restraint  under  the  taunts  of  Peninnah  has 
taught  her  self-control,  and  she  replies  with 
womanly  dignity  and  courtesy,  ''I  am  a  woman  of  a 
sorrowful  spirit.  I  have  poured  out  my  soul 
before  Jehovah;  for  out  of  the  abundance  of  my 
complaint  and  my  provocation  have  I  spoken." 

And  this  was  Hannah's  prayer:    "0  Jehovah 
of  hosts,  if  thou  wilt  indeed  look  upon  the  aflQiction 
of  thy  handmaid  and  remember  me 
Prayer'^'^  ....  [and]  wilt  give  unto  thy  hand- 

maid a  man-child,  then  I  will  give 
him  unto  Jehovah  all  the  days  of  his  life,  and  there 
shall  no  razor  come  upon  his  head."  Notice  in  this 
prayer  that  Hannah  did  not  ask  for  this  child  simply 
for  her  own  gratification.  Neither  did  she  ask 
for  it  in  order  to  silence  the  taunts  of  Peninnah. 
In  her  exaltation  she  leaves  far  behind  her  own 
personal  desires  as  she  catches  a  glimpse  of  God's 
claim  upon  her  and  her  child.  Satisfied  with 
nothing  less  than  his  complete  consecration  to  a 
life-long  service  in  the  sanctuary  as  a  Nazirite,  she 
sacrifices  all  her  motherly  claim  upon  him,  that 
he  may  serve  Jehovah  forever. 


Hannah — A  Noble  Mother  31 

The  benediction  of  the  high  priest  strength- 
ened her  faith,  and  Hannah  "went  her  way 
and  did  eat;  and  her  countenance  was  no 
more  sad." 

And  Jehovah  remembered  Hannah  and  gave 

her  a  son;    and  she  called  his  name  Samuel,  i.e., 

"heard  of  Jehovah,"  as  a  memorial 

Hannah's  Son  .  r    i  •      i  •     i 

of  the  circumstances  of  his  birth. 
But  there  is  more  to  the  story.  A  baby  boy  with 
his  smiles  transforms  the  home.  Hannah's  sadness 
has  turned  to  joy  as,  caressing  her  child,  she  recalls 
the  experiences  before  his  birth  and  dreams  of  what 
the  future  may  bring  to  him.  The  provoking 
slurs  of  Peninnah  are  forever  silenced,  while 
Elkanah  willingly  recognizes  the  right  of  Hannah 
to  direct  the  training  of  the  God-given  child  toward 
the  fulfilment  of  her  vow.  Samuel  was  regarded 
as  a  divine  gift  in  answer  to  prayer.  His  mother 
in  caring  for  his  physical  needs  was  his  nurse  and 
also  his  teacher  as  she  directed  his  earliest  thoughts 
toward  tlie  worship  of  Jehovah.  Think  of  them 
sitting  together  in  the  Syrian  twiUght,  the  one  tell- 
ing, the  other  listening  to,  those  wonderful  events 
in  early  Hebrew  history:  the  story  of  Joseph;  the 
passing  of  the  Red  Sea;  and  the  finding  of  the 
baby  Moses.  "Who  is  best  taught?"  asks  the 
Talmud.  "He  that  is  taught  of  his  mother." 
And  so  faithfully  did  Hannah  fulfil  her  trust  that 
she  would  not  leave  the  child  even  to  go  to  the 


32  Lives  Worth  Living 

sanctuary  at  Shiloh  until  he  was  old  enough  to  go 
with  her.^ 

One  has  said:  "A  mother's  teachings  have  a 
marvelous  vitality  in  them;  there  is  a  strange 
living  power  in  that  good  seed  which  is  sown  by 
a  mother's  hand  in  her  child's  heart  in  the  early 
dawn  of  a  child's  being,  when  they  two  are  alone 
together,  and  the  mother's  soul  gushes  forth  on 
her  child  and  the  child  listens  to  his  mother  as  a 
God;  and  there  is  a  deathless  potency  in  a  mother's 
prayers  and  tears  for  those  she  hath  borne  which 
only  God  can  estimate."^ 

When  the  child  Samuel  was  about  three  years 
old,  Hannah  returned  to  the  well-remembered  spot 
where  she  had  offered  her  prayer, 
Fumued  ^  °^  ^^^  with  an  offering  of  three  bullocks, 
an  ephah  of  meal,  and  a  bottle  of 
wine  (the  size  of  the  offering  showing  this  to  be  a 
special  occasion)  she  gave  back  to  God  the  sacred 
gift  intrusted  to  her  care.  "Noble  in  her  spirit 
of  endurance  in  the  time  of  trial,  Hannah  is  still 
more  noble  in  the  spirit  of  self-denial  in  the  time 
of  prosperity.  It  was  no  common  grace  that  could 
so  completely  sacrifice  all  her  personal  feelings 
and  so  thoroughly  honor  God."^ 

■  For  an  example  of  similar  devotion  consult  Allen,  Life  oj 
Phillips  Brooks,  II,  380. 

'  W.  L.  Alexander. 

3  Blaikie,  Expositor's  Bible. 


Hannah— A  Noble  Mother  33 

The  boy  was  vowed 
Unto  the  temple  service.     By  the  hand 
She  led  him,  and  her  silent  soul  the  while, 

Oft  as  the  dewy  laughter  of  his  eye 
Devotion    ^^^^  ^^^  sweet  serious  glance,  rejoiced  to 

think 
That  aught  so  pure,  so  beautiful,  was  hers, 
To  bring  before  her  God. 

"I  give  thee  to  thy  God — the  God  that  gave  thee 
A  well-spring  of  deep  gladness  to  my  heart! 
And  precious  as  thou  art, 

And  pure  as  dew  of  Hermon,  he  shall  have  thee, 
My  own,  my  beautiful,  my  undefiled! 
And  thou  shalt  be  His  child. 

Therefore,  farewell!  I  go,  my  soul  may  fail  me, 
As  the  stag  panteth  for  the  water  brooks, 
Yearning  for  thy  sweet  looks, — 
But  thou,  my  first-born,  droop  not,  nor  bewail  me! 
Thou  in  the  shadow  of  the  Rock  shalt  dwell. 
The  Rock  of  Strength.     Farewell!'" 

"And  they  slew  the  bullock  and  brought  the 
child  to  Eli."  Hannah  alone  speaks,  reminding 
Eli  that  she  is  the  woman  who  stood  in  this  very 
place  praying  in  deep  distress  and  that  God  had 
answered  her  prayer  and  given  her  this  son; 
"therefore  also  I  have  granted  him  to  Jehovah; 
as  long  as  he  liveth  he  is  granted  to  Jehovah." 

We  are  not  told  what  response  Eli  made  or  what 
arrangements  he  had  for  caring  for  this  young 

'  Mrs.  Felicia  Hemans. 


34  Lives  Worth  Living 

child.  Eli  was  now  such  a  feeble  old  man  and  his 
sons,  Hophni  and  Phinehas,  were  such  wicked 
men,  that  Shiloh  does  not  seem  to  have  been  a 
very  safe  place  for  him.  But  Hannah,  doubtless, 
recalled  the  stories  she  had  told  her  boy  of  God's 
care  of  Joseph  and  of  Moses  when  they  were  chil- 
dren, and  knew  that  Samuel  was  as  truly  God's 
child  and  would  have  his  care.  That  Hannah 
returned  to  her  house  with  a  deep,  abiding  joy 
in  her  heart  none  can  doubt.  Whether  it  found 
expression  in  the  literary  form  of  I  Sam.  2:1-10, 
the  critics  are  not  agreed;  many  say  that  this  song 
is  wholly  unsuited  to  Hannah's  position  and  cir- 
cumstances, and  was  composed  much  later  in 
celebration  of  some  national  event.  In  any  case, 
the  spirit  of  it  is  hers  as  she  tries  to  express  thank- 
fulness for  "answer  to  prayer,  deliverance,  from 
trial,  and  fulfilment  of  hopes." 

One  beautiful  last  picture  we  have  of  the  mother- 
love  of  Hannah  carrying  to  Samuel  a  little  robe 
as  she  goes  each  year  with  the  family  to  the  sacri- 
fice at  Shiloh.  How  much  this  annual  reunion 
must  have  meant  to  them  all!  What  were 
Hannah's  thoughts  as  she  fashioned  the  little 
garment,  making  it  larger  year  by  year!  What  a 
reminder  to  Samuel  of  an  absent  mother's  love! 

"Hannah's  faith  found  its  largest  fulfilment,  not 
in  the  birth  and  infancy  of  her  son,  but  in  the 
purity  and  strength  of  the  prophet-judge  and  his 


Hannah — A  Noble  Mother  35 

illustrious  career.  The  answer  to  Hannah's  prayer 
was  the  prayerfulness  of  Samuel.  And  when  God 
awards  the  honors  for  noble  service,  the  crown  will 
go  to  Hannah  as  well  as  to  Samuel." 

Central  Idea  of  the  Story 

Each  child,  a  giitfrom  God,  should  be  a  gift  to 
God.  It  is  the  mother's  task  to  teach  the  child  to 
regard  every  place  of  service  a  house  of  God. 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  Picture  the  life  of  Hannah  in  her  home,  and 
explain  why  the  lack  of  children  was  such  a  grief. 

2.  What  do  you  think  of  the  character  of  Elkanah  ? 

3.  If  Hannah  had  been  the  only  wife,  what  condi- 
tions would  probably  have  been  different  ? 

4.  What  indications  are  there  in  this  lesson  that  the 
Hebrews  practiced  a  family  as  well  as  a  national 
religion  ? 

5.  How  did  they  regard  Jehovah  ?  What  was  their 
attitude  toward  the  gods  of  other  peoples  ? 

6.  Put  into  simpler  form  the  prayer  of  Hannah  and 
tell  what  came  of  it. 

7.  Was  Hannah's  vow  a  bargain  with  God?  If  so, 
what  considerations  explain  it?  Is  it  right  for  us 
today  to  make  such  bargains  between  ourselves  and 
God? 

8.  Explain  how  the  very  cause  of  Hannah's  distress 
became  a  means  of  good  to  her.  What  converted  a 
trial  into  a  blessing? 


36  Lives  Worth  Living 

9.  What  fundamental  virtues  of  the  home  are 
emphasized  in  the  story  of  Hannah  ?  Can  we  apply 
these  to  the  complex  life  of  today  ? 

ID.  What  was  Hannah's  ideal  of  motherhood? 
Compare  it  with  that  of  the  present  day. 

II.  What  was  Hannah's  ideal  for  her  child?  Have 
the  parents  of  today  a  similar  ideal  for  their  children  ? 

*i2.  What  obligations  has  a  mother  (a)  to  herself; 
(b)  to  her  child;   (c)  to  the  world  ? 

*i3.  Compare  Hannah  and  other  notable  mothers, 
such  as  Susanna  Wesley,  Abigail  Adams,  Mary  Brooks ; 
also  Mrs.  Paget  in  Mother,  by  Kathleen  Norris,  and 
any  mother  of  your  acquaintance. 

*i4.  Make  a  study  of  mothers  during  the  week,  both 
in  real  life  and  in  literature. 

*i5.  How  may  we  all  have  a  spiritual  motherhood 
which  will  give  us  a  share  in  the  coming  generation  ? 

Reference  Books 

♦Allen,  A.  V.  G.,  Life  a)id  Letters  of  Phillips  Brooks,  II,  379-92 

Barrie,  J.  M.,  Margaret  Ogilvy. 

Cheney,  Mary  Bushnell,  Life  and  Letters  of  Horace  Bitshnell, 
chaps,  i  and  ii. 

Familiar  letters  of  John  Adams  and  his  wife,  Abigail  Adams. 

Hastings,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  article  "Hannah." 

Martin,  E.  S.,  The  Luxury  of  Children. 
*Norris,  Kathleen,  Mother. 

Wesley,  John,  The  Heart  of  John  Wesley's  Journal,  pp.  90-101. 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        37 

CHAPTER  II— LESSON  IV 
Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home 

"To  raise  a  great  man  you  must  first  raise  a  great 
mother." 

"Let  us  call  our  house-work  home-work;  for  home- 
work is  privilege,  not  drudgery."' 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

The  present-day  qualifications  of  the  home-maker 
An  ideal  home-maker  of  the  olden   time    (Prov. 

31:1-31)- 

Fundamental  principles  for  the  health,  happiness, 
and  service  of  an  efficient  home. 

The  care  and  training  of  children,  socially;  intel- 
lectually; spiritually;  and  the  preparation  for  their 
life-work. 

The  home  and  the  modern  city. 

The  family  budget. 

Problems  and  difficulties. 

General  Survey 

The  ancient  world  gives  us  but  few  glimpses  of 
woman  except  as  the  slave  of  man  and  valued  only 
as  a  possession  to  be  bargained  for  according  to  his 
fancy.  Later,  Christianity  gave  to  motherhood 
the  inspiration  of  perfect  childhood,  and  elevated 
both  the  position  and  the  service  of  woman.  To- 
day, the  power  and  responsibility  of  woman  is  most 

'  "A  Fable  for  Home- Workers,"  The  Congregationalist. 


38  Lives  Worth  Living 

potent,  for  life  is  manifold  and  woman's  work  is 
complex. 

When  man  ceased  to  think  of  himself  as  a  mere 
member  of  a  tribe  and  began  to  plan  a  home,  he 
took  a  great  step  in  the  upward  path  of  evolution. 
The  home  rests  primarily  on  marriage.  "  Marriage 
has  been  evolved  by  necessity,  tested  by  experience, 
and  blessed  by  religion."  It  has  been  proved  to 
be  the  best,  indeed  the  only  good  solution  of  the 
problem  of  the  perpetuation  of  the  race.  But  like 
every  human  institution  it  has  in  its  actual  existing 
examples  its  weakness  and  perversions.  The  basis 
of  any  true  home  must  be  a  relation  of  mutual  trust 
and  affection.  As  a  rule,  those  homes  are  happiest 
where  both  the  husband  and  the  wife  are  of  the 
same  nationality  and  religious  faith,  and  have 
similar  ideals. 

Family  life  is  strengthened  by  the  love  and  care 
of  children,  and,  if  the  home  develops  normally, 
parenthood  naturally  follows  marriage,  and  a  little 
child  is  sent  forth  into  the  world  to  conquer  or  be 
conquered.  In  the  words  of  G.  Stanley  Hall, 
''There  is  one  thing  in  nature  fit  to  inspire  all  true 
men  and  women  with  reverence  and  awe,  and  that 
is  the  soul  and  body  of  a  healthy  young  child. 
Heredity  has  freighted  it  with  all  the  results  of 
parental  well-  and  ill-doing,  and  filled  it  with 
reverberations  from  the  past  more  vast  than  science 
can  explore,  and  on  its  right  development  depends 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        39 

the  entire  future  of  civilization,  decades  hence. 
Simple  as  childhood  seems,  there  is  nothing  harder 
to  know ;  and  responsive  as  it  is  to  every  influence 
about  it,  "there  is  nothing  harder  to  guide.  To 
develop  childhood  to  virtue,  power,  and  true 
freedom  is  the  supreme  end  of  education." 

What  a  tremendous  responsibility  is  parenthood 
when  considered  in  the  light  of  this  statement! 
What  a  great  responsibility  upon  the  mother,  who 
is  largely  the  determining  factor  in  the  child's  life! 
"It  is  not  a  theory  but  a  scientific  law  that  the 
more  intimately  and  the  more  variously  the  mother 
joins  the  child  to  its  great  multiple  environment 
the  more  effective  and  manifold  must  be  his  life. 
It  is  difiicult  to  conceive  a  more  complicated  task 
than  that  given  to  the  mother;  To  open  the  capa- 
cities of  body,  mind,  and  spirit,  so  that  life  may 
flow  in  upon  this  young  soul — what  greater  task, 
what  holier  mission  can  be  assigned  to  any  human 
being  !"^ 

Mothers  are  sometimes  tempted  to  feel  that  their 
lives  are  narrow  and  confined.  But  the  fact  is  quite 
the  contrary.  Expressed  concisely,  the  home- 
maker  must  be  (i)  a  practical  dietician;  (2)  an 
instructor  and  inspirer  of  youth ;  (3)  a  competent 
accountant;  (4)  a  person  of  wisdom,  invention, 
sympathy,  and  sound  sense;  (5)  a  wise  business 
manager  in  securing  full  value  for  money,  time,  and 

'J.  H.  Ecob,  Studies  in  Christianity. 


40  Lives  Worth  Living 

effort  expended;  (6).  a  just  employer  of  labor. 
Could  mothers  ask  for  a  broader  field  ?  Rather 
let  them  ask,  "Who  is  sufhcient  for  these 
things?" 

While  it  is  no  easy  task  to  be  the  mother  of  a 
noble  child,  yet  God  assigns  high  honors  to  mother- 
hood, and  many  of  the  good  things  of  life  pass  into 
insignificance  when  compared  with  the  wealth  of 
life  that  comes  to  the  men  and  women  who  in 
purity  and  devotion  preside  over  their  homes. 

No  one  can  see  what  work  for  God  and  humanity 
that  child  in  your  home  may  some  day  undertake. 
"Your  clearness  of  intellect,  your  purity  of  purpose, 
your  integrity  of  conscience  will  pass  into  that  boy 
or  that  girl  and  some  of  the  work  for  God  you 
dreamed  of  doing  they  will  do.  In  other  words, 
you  will  do  it  through  them."  As  was  said  in 
the  previous  lesson,  "Hannah's  faith  found  its 
largest  fulfilment,  not  in  the  birth  and  infancy 
of  her  son,  but  in  the  purity  and  strength  of  the 
prophet-judge  and  his  illustrious  career.  The 
answer  to  Hannah's  prayer  was  the  prayerfulness 
of  Samuel." 

It  should  be  fully  appreciated  that  one  does  not 
need  to  have  a  home  of  her  own  to  be  a  real  home- 
maker.  Consider  that  noble  army  of  unmarried 
or  widowed  women  who  create  in  other  women's 
homes  the  helpful  home  atmosphere;  who,  going 
up  and  down  other  people's  stairs,  transform  them 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        41 

into  ladders  which  connect  earth  and  heaven,  as 
they  try  to  hold  together  families  which  perhaps 
death  has  broken. 

We  have  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (chap.  31)  a 
most  attractive  picture  of  the  efficient  woman  of 
the  olden  time.  The  fundamental  virtues  were  the 
same  then  as  now,  and  there  were  the  same  great 
needs,  but  the  methods  for  meeting  these  needs 
have  changed.  Formerly  woman  was  the  pro- 
ducer; now  she  is  the  consumer.  Invention  has 
relieved  her  of  much  of  the  work  previously  done 
in  the  home,  giving  greater  freedom  to  some  women 
while  laying  heavier  burdens  upon  others.  But  in 
the  place  of  physical  labor  has  come  the  demand  for 
greater  skill  and  judgment,  greater  responsibility 
for  the  welfare  of  others. 

The  woman  spoken  of  in  Proverbs  knew  the 
sanitary  conditions  under  which  her  garments  were 
spun,  woven,  and  made;  her  children  were  not 
dependent  upon  public  playgrounds  or  moving- 
picture  theaters  for  their  amusements,  nor  were 
they  imprisoned  in  factories  nor  crowded  in  dark 
tenements. 

We  cannot  imagine  this  worthy  woman  keeping 
house  in  a  modern  apartment  with  its  disappearing 
furniture  and  kitchenette.  Those  were  the  days 
of  neighborly  hospitalities,  when  calls  were  made  in 
person  and  not  over  a  telephone;  when  children 
were  considered  "a  heritage  of  the  Lord,"  and  their 


42  Lives  Worth  Living 

place  was  not  usurped  by  the  poodle  dog  or  the 
Persian  kitten. 

Benjamin  Franklin  once  wrote  of  his  wife : 

In  peace  and  good  order  my  household  she  guides, 

Right  careful  to  save  what  I  gain; 
Yet  cheerfully  spends  and  smiles  on  the  friends 

I've  the  pleasure  to  entertain. 
Some  faults  have  we  all,  and  so  has  my  Joan, 

But  then,  they're  exceedingly  small, 
And  now  I've  grown  used  to  them,  so  like  my  own 

I  scarcely  can  see  them  at  all. 

Because  in  the  home  women  have  been  given 
more  leisure  by  changes  in  the  commercial  world, 
they  are  now  called  upon  to  enlarge  the  boundaries 
of  their  interest  to  include  the  community  and  the 
world.  This  aspect  of  the  subject  will  be  consid- 
ered more  fully  in  a  later  lesson  on  ''Woman's 
Public  Influence." 

Housing  conditions,  industrial  changes,  immi- 
gration, divorce,  the  extremes  of  wealth  and 
poverty,  amusements,  factory  conditions,  these 
and  many  more  are  the  problems  and  difi&culties 
that  confront  the  modern  home. 

In  our  English  language  the  word  "house"  is 
not  synonymous  with  the  word  "home."  People 
may  live  in  a  "house"  which  could  not  by  any 
stretch  of  imagination  be  called  a  "home."  Per- 
haps there  is  no  greater  menace  to  our  homes  today 
than  lack  of  peace  or  harmony.    Even  where  there 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        43 

is  wealth  and  culture,  there  is  often  friction, 
perpetual  fault-finding,  and  even  angry  quarrels. 
Naturally,  in  such  an  atmosphere  all  sorts  of 
miseries  may  be  found,  and  we  are  not  surprised 
when  they  culminate  in  separation  and  divorce. 

On  the  other  hand,  what  a  blessing  in  any  home 
is  the  person  who  radiates  peace  and  contentment ! 
In  many  a  home  this  is  the  saintly  grandmother 
who  has  leisure  to  hear  or  tell  a  story,  sew  on  a 
button,  nurse  a  bruised  finger  or  an  injured  spirit. 

Surely  to  be  adequate  for  her  task  woman  re- 
quires the  highest  development  of  her  whole  being. 
"Many  women  with  aspirations  outside  the  home 
begrudge  the  time  and  routine  of  household  cares. 
But  the  charm  of  the  home  usually  diminishes  just 
in  proportion  as  the  personal  interest  is  withdrawn ; 
for  in  this  greatest  profession  open  to  women  it 
is  true  that  she  who  loses  her  life  is  the  one  who 
ands  it." 

The  home  as  far  as  possible  should  reflect  the 
beauty  and  the  art  of  the  world.  Good  books, 
good  pictures,  good  music  make  it  attractive  and 
stimulating,  while  they  fashion  memories  which 
last  as  long  as  life  itself.  The  companionship  of 
parents  and  children  in  games  and  music  strengthen 
the  home  ties  and  keep  the  children  in  the  home  in 
spite  of  counter-attractions  elsewhere.  "When 
is  the  best  time  to  lead  water  out  of  the  spring  and 
music  out  of  the  heart  ?    Before  other  things  begin 


44  Lives  Worth  Living 

to  cover  it;  in  the  early  days,  in  childhood  time." 
The  home  that  thus  brings  the  imagination  into 
its  work  and  play  is  given  an  additional  power  to 
lighten  the  burdens  and  increase  the  joys. 

"Now  I  know  what  makes  you  so  different  from 
other  women,"  said  John  Tenison.  "It's  having 
that  wonderful  mother!  It's  something  to  thank 
God  for,  a  mother  like  that;  it's  a  privilege  to 
know  her.  I've  been  watching  her  all  day,  and 
I've  been  wondering  what  she  gets  out  of  it — that 
was  what  puzzled  me;  but  now,  just  now,  I've 
found  out !  This  morning,  thinking  what  her  life  is, 
I  couldn't  see  what  repaid  her,  do  you  see  ?  What 
made  up  to  her  for  the  unending,  unending  effort 
and  sacrifice,  the  pouring  out  of  love  and  sympathy 
and  help — year  after  year  after  year  ?  You  know," 
he  went  on  musingly,  "in  these  days,  when 
women  just  serenely  ignore  the  question  of  chil- 
dren, or  at  most,  as  a  special  concession,  bring 
up  one  or  two — just  the  one  or  two  whose  expenses 
can  be  comfortably  met! — there's  something  mag- 
nificent in  a  woman  like  your  mother,  who  begins 
eight  destinies  instead  of  one.  She  doesn't  strain 
and  chafe  to  express  herself  through  the  medium  of 
poetry  or  music  or  the  stage,  but  she  puts  her 
whole  splendid  philosophy  into  her  nursery — • 
launches  sound  little  bodies  and  minds  that  have 
their  first  growth  cleanly  and  purely  about  her 
knees. 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        45 

**Why,  what  good  is  learning,  or  elegance  of 
manner,  or  painfully  acquired  fineness  of  speech 
and  taste  and  point  of  view,  if  you  are  not  going 
to  distil  it  into  the  growing  plants,  the  only  real 
hope  we  have  in  the  world!  You  know,  Miss 
Paget,  there's  a  higher  tribunal  than  the  social 
tribunal  of  this  world  after  all ;  and  it  seems  to  me 
that  a  woman  who  stands  there,  as  your  mother 
will,  with  a  forest  of  new  lives  about  her,  will — will 
find  she  has  a  friend  at  court  !"^ 

For  Continued  Thought 

"The  home  must  keep  the  members  of  the  family 
in  a  state  of  body  and  mind  and  happiness  that 
will  make  it  possible  for  them  to  work  at  their 
highest  capacity  for  the  greatest  number  of  years; 
it  must  give  to  the  community  children  that  are 
well  fitted  for  citizenship  and  equipped  to  push 
civilization  along;  and  it  must  turn  out  this  pro- 
duct on  an  economical  expenditure,  not  of  money 
only,  but  of  brain  and  muscle  as  well."* 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  What  are  die  fundamental  virtues  of  a  home? 

2.  What  conditions  today  make  ideal  home  life 
difficult  (a)  in  the  city;    (b)  in  the  country? 

»  Kathleen  Norris,  Mother. 

•M.  B.  and  R.  W.  Bruere,  Increasing  Home  Efficiency. 


46  Lives  Worth  Living 

3.  Is  the  piety  of  Hannah  now  to  be  found  in  our 
homes  ? 

4.  Study  carefully  the  chapter  referred  to  in 
Proverbs,  noting  the  character,  ability,  and  rewards 
in  the  life  and  service  of  this  woman. 

5.  What  is  the  greatest  difference  you  notice  between 
the  home  of  the  woman  described  in  Proverbs  and 
the  home  of  the  present  day?  Is  anything  less  re- 
quired of  the  home-maker  of  today  ? .  or  anything 
more? 

6.  What  is  meant  by  the  "home  atmosphere"? 

7.  How  may  our  houses  become  our  homes? 

8.  What  are  the  marks  of  an  inefficient  home? 
What  do  you  think  is  the  greatest  menace  to  the  home 
today  ? 

9.  Should  woman  limit  her  activities  to  the  home  ? 

10.  What  are  the  causes  that  induce  or  compel  so 
many  women  to  seek  occupations  in  store,  shop,  or 
office? 

11.  What  are  some  essential  features  of  an  adequate 
plan  for  financing  one's  home  ? 

*i2.  What  system  of  family  accounts  would  be  most 
satisfactory  ?  What  are  your  pet  economies  ?  What 
are  your  little  extravagances? 

13.  Is  the  so-called  bargain  counter  a  foe  or  an  ally 
of  the  home  ? 

*i4.  What  are  your  earliest  memories  of  your 
childhood  home  ? 

*i5.  Picture  to  your  imagination  the  home  you 
would  like  your  home  to  be.  What  is  your  part  toward 
making  it  such  a  home  ? 


Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home        47 

*i6.  What  do  you  think  of  the  advice  of  William 
Morris  to  have  nothing  in  our  homes  that  we  do  not 
know  to  be  useful  and  believe  to  be  beautiful  ? 

*i7.  What  place  should  the  domestic  arts  hold  in 
the  college  curriculum  ? 

Reference  Books 

*Bru^re,  M.  B.  and  R.  W.,  Increasing  Home  Efficiency. 

Comer,  Cornelia  A.  P.,  "The  Vanishing  Lady,"  Atlantic  Monthly, 
December,  191 1. 

Cope,  H.  F.,  Religious  Education  in  the  Family. 

Hillis,  Mrs.  N.  D.,  The  American  Wotnan  and  Her  Home. 

Mathews,  Shailer,  The  Social  and  Ethical  Teachings  of  Jesus. 

Peabody,  Francis  G.,  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Social  Question,  chap, 
on  "The  Family." 

Richards,  Ellen,  The  Art  of  Right  Living. 
*Talbot  and  Breckinridge,  The  Modern  Household. 


CHAPTER  III— LESSON  V 
DEBORAH— A  CHAMPION  OF  ISRAEL 

"For  that  the  leaders  took  the  lead  in  Israel, 
For  that  the  people  offered  themselves  willingly, 
Bless  ye  Jehovah."' 

The  Bible  Story 

And  it  came  to  pass  after  the  death  of  Joshua,  that 
the  children  of  Israel  asked  of  Jehovah,  saying.  Who 
Beginning  of  a  ^hall  go  up  for  US  first  against  the 
National  Life  Canaanites,  to  fight  against  them  ?  And 
for  the  Israelites  jghovah  said,  Judah  shall  go  up:  behold, 

I  have  delivered  the  land  into  his  hand And 

Judah  went  up ;  and  Jehovah  delivered  the  Canaanites 
and  the  Perizzites  into  their  hand 

And  the  children  of  Judah  fought  against  Jerusa- 
lem, and  took  it And  afterward  the  children  of 

Judah  went  down  to  fight  against  the  Canaanites  that 
dwelt  in  the  hill-country,  and  in  the  South,  and  in  the 

lowland And  Jehovah  was  with  Judah;    and 

he  drove  out  the  inhabitants  of  the  hill-country;  for 
he  could  not  drive  out  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley, 

because  they  had  chariots  of  iron And   the 

children  of  Benjamin  did  not  drive  out  the  Jebusites 
that  inhabited  Jerusalem ;  but  the  Jebusites  dwell  with 
the  children  of  Benjamin  in  Jerusalem  unto  this  day. 

'  Judg.  s :  2. 

48 


Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel        49 

And  the  house  of  Joseph,  they  also  went  up  against 
Beth-el;   and  Jehovah  was  with  them 

And  Manasseh  ....  and  Ephraim  ....  [and] 
Zebulun  ....  [and]  Asher  ....  [and]  Naphtali 
drove  not  out  the  inhabitants  ....  but  .... 
dwelt  among  the  Canaanites,  ....  [and]  the  in- 
habitants ....  became  subject  to  taskwork 

And  the  angel  of  Jehovah  ....  said,  I  made  you 
to  go  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  have  brought  you  unto  the 
land  which  I  sware  unto  your  fathers;  and  I  said,  I 
will  never  break  my  covenant  with  you:  and  ye  shall 
make  no  covenant  with  the  inhabitants  of  this  land; 
ye  shall  break  down  their  altars.  But  ye  have  not 
hearkened  unto  my  voice:  why  have  ye  done  this? 
Wherefore  I  also  said,  I  will  not  drive  them  out  from 
before  you;  but  they  shall  be  as  thorns  in  your  sides, 
and  their  gods  shall  be  a  snare  unto  you.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  the  angel  of  Jehovah  spake  these  words 
unto  all  the  children  of  Israel,  that  the  people  lifted  up 

their  voice  and  wept And  the  people  served 

Jehovah  all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all  the  days  of  the 
elders  that  outlived  Joshua,  who  had  seen  all  the  great 

work  of  Jehovah,  that  he  had  wrought  for  Israel 

And  ....  all  that  generation  were  gathered  unto 
their  fathers:  and  there  arose  another  generation  after 
them,  that  knew  not  Jehovah,  nor  yet  the  work  which 
he  had  wrought  for  Israel  ....  and  they  forsook 
Jehovah,  the  God  of  their  fathers,  who  brought  them 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  followed  other  gods,  of 
the  gods  of  the  peoples  that  were  round  about  them; 
and  bowed   themselves  down    unto   them:  and    they 


50  Lives  Worth  Living 

provoked  Jehovah  to  anger  ....  and  he  delivered 
them  into  the  hands  of  spoilers  that  despoiled  them; 
and  he  sold  them  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies  round 
about,  so  that  they  could  not  any  longer  stand  before 

their  enemies 

And  Jehovah  raised  up  judges,  who  saved  them  out 
of  the  hand  of  those  that  despoiled  them.     And  yet 

they  hearkened  not  unto  their  judges But  it 

came  to  pass,  when  the  judge  was  dead,  that  they 
turned  back,  and  dealt  more  corruptly  than  their 
fathers,  in  following  other  gods  to  serve  them,  and  to 
bow  down  unto  them  (Judg.,  chaps,  i  and  2,  abridged). 

And  the  children  of  Israel  again  did  that  which  was 

evil  in  the  sight  of  Jehovah And  Jehovah  sold 

them  into  the  hand  of  Jabin  king  of 
Deborah  the      Canaan,  ....  the    captain    of    whose 

Prophet- Judge  '  ^ 

host  was  Sisera And  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  cried  unto  Jehovah :  for  ....  he  [Jabin] 
mightily  oppressed  the  children  of  Israel. 

Now  Deborah,  a  prophetess,  the  wife  of  Lappidoth, 
she  judged  Israel  at  that  time.  And  she  dwelt  under 
the  palm-tree  of  Deborah  between  Ramah  and  Beth-el 
in  the  hill-country  of  Ephraim:  and  the  children  of 
Israel  came  up  to  her  for  judgment.  And  she  sent  and 
called  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam  out  of  Kedesh- 
naphtali,  and  said  unto  him,  Hath  not  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  Israel,  commanded,  saying,  Go  and  draw  unto 
mount  Tabor,  and  take  with  thee  ten  thousand  men  of 
the  children  of  Naphtali  and  of  the  children  of  Zebu- 
lun  ?     And  I  will  draw  unto  thee,  to  the  river  Kishon, 


Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel        51 

Sisera,  the  captain  of  Jabin's  army,  with  his  chariots 
and  his  multitude;  and  I  will  deliver  him  into  thy 
hand.  And  Barak  said  unto  her,  If  thou  wilt  go  with 
me,  then  I  will  go;  but  if  thou  wilt  not  go  with  me,  I 
will  not  go.  And  she  said,  I  will  surely  go  with  thee: 
notwithstanding,  the  journey  that  thou  takest  shall 
not  be  for  thine  honor;  for  Jehovah  will  sell  Sisera  into 
the  hand  of  a  woman.  And  Deborah  arose  and  went 
with  Barak  to  Kedesh.  And  Barak  called  Zebulun  and 
Naphtali  together  to  Kedesh;  and  there  went  up  ten 
thousand  men  at  his  feet;  and  Deborah  went  up  with 
him. 

Now  Heber  the  Kenite  had  separated  himself  from 
the  Kenites,  even  from  the  children  of  Hobab  the 
brother-in-law  of  Moses,  and  had  pitched  his  tent  as 
far  as  the  oak  in  Zaanannim,  which  is  by  Kedesh. 

And  they  told  Sisera  that  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam 

was  gone  up  to  mount  Tabor.     And  Sisera  gathered 

together    all    his    chariots,    even    nine 

Battle  of  the       hundred   chariots  of  iron,  and  all   the 

Plain  ' 

people  that  were  with  him,  from  Haro- 

sheth  of  the  Gentiles,  unto  the  river  Kishon.     And 

Deborah  said  unto  Barak,  Up;   for  this  is  the  day  in 

which  Jehovah  hath  delivered  Sisera  into  thy  hand: 

is  not  Jehovah  gone  out  before  thee  ?     So  Barak  went 

down  from  mount  Tabor,  and  ten  thousand  men  after 

him.     And   Jehovah   discomfited   Sisera,   and   all   his 

chariots,  and  all  his  host,  with  the  edge  of  the  sword 

before  Barak;   and  Sisera  alighted   from  his  chariot, 

and  fled  away  on  his  feet.     But  Barak  pursued  after 

the  chariots  and  after  the  host,  unto  Harosheth  of  the 


52  Lives  Worth  Living 

Gentiles:  and  all  the  host  of  Sisera  fell  by  the  edge  of 

the  sword;  there  was  not  a  man  left. 

Howbeit  Sisera  fled  away  on  his  feet  to  the  tent  of 

Jael  the  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite;  for  there  was  peace 

between  Tabin  the  kins  of  Hazor  and  the 
Death  of  Sisera  ,  . 

house  of  Heber  the  Kenite.     And  Jael 

went  out  to  meet  Sisera,  and  said  unto  him,  Turn  in, 

my  lord,  turn  in  to  me;    fear  not.     And  he  turned  in 

unto  her  into  the  tent  and  she  covered  him  with  a'  rug. 

And  he  said  unto  her.  Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little 

water  to  drink;    for  I  am  thirsty.     And  she  opened  a 

bottle  of  milk,  and  gave  him  drink,  and  covered  him. 

And  he  said  unto  her,  Stand  in  the  door  of  the  tent,  and 

it  shall  be,  when  any  man  doth  come  and   inquire 

of  thee,  and  say,  Is  there  any  man  here?  that  thou 

shalt  say,  No.     Then  Jael  Heber 's  wife  took  a  tent. -pin 

and  took  a  hammer  in  her  hand,  and  went  softly  unto 

him,  and  smote  the  pin  into  his  temples,  and  it  pierced 

through  into  the  ground;    for  he  was  in  a  deep  sleep; 

so  he  swooned  and  died. 

And,  behold,  as  Barak  pursued  Sisera,  Jael  came 
out  to  meet  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Come,  and  I  will 
show  thee  the  man  whom  thou  seekest.  And  he 
came  unto  her,  and,  behold,  Sisera  lay  dead,  and  the 
tent-pin  was  in  his  temples. 

So  God  subdued  on  that  day  Jabin  the  king  of 
Canaan  before  the  children  of  Israel.  And  the  hand 
of  the  children  of  Israel  prevailed  more  and  more 
against  Jabin  the  king  of  Canaan,  until  they  had 
destroyed  Jabin  king  of  Canaan  (Judg.,  chap.  4, 
abridged). 


Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel        53 

Read  also  tlie  Song  of  Deborah  for  a  poetic  narra- 
tive of  the  same  event  (Judg.  chap.  5). 


An  Interpretation  of  the  Story 

The  history  of  Israel  during  the  time  of  the 

Judges  pictures  the  experience  of  a  people  in  the 

process  of  change  from  the  wander- 
Conditions  in        .  .     •       !•■  P    .1        1         1 

Israel  at  the       mg,  uncertam  lite  01  the  herdsmen 
Time  of  the        ^f  ^j^g  desert  to  the  more  settled  life 

Judges  .... 

of  farmers  hvmg  in  towns  and  vil- 
lages. That  this  was  a  forward  step  in  their 
national  life  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it  helped  to 
consolidate  the  various  tribes  and  to  bring  them 
into  contact  with  the  more  advanced  civilization 
of  the  Canaanites.  It  is  not  long  before  we  find 
them  intermarrying  and  even  erecting  altars  to 
Baal,  thus  mingling  idolatry  with  the  worship  of 
Jehovah.  In  this  respect  the  entrance  into  Canaan 
would  seem  to  indicate  a  backward  step,  yet  with 
all  the  backslidings  which  are  given  such  a  promi- 
nence in  the  story  of  the  Judges,  a  closer  study  of 
the  same  events  reveals  the  fact  that  Israel's  settle- 
ment in  Canaan  resulted  in  an  advance  even  in 
religion,  for  "community  religion  was  better  than 
camping  religion,"'  as  the  former  involved  a  per- 
manence in  its  relations  and  duties,  and  required 
the  mutual  helpfulness  of  many  kinds  of  people. 

'  F.  K.  Sanders,  History  of  the  Hebrews,  p.  82. 


54  Lives  Worth  Living 

The  leaders  of  the  Israelites  at  this  time  were 
called  judges.  This  was  somewhat  of  a  misnomer 
according  to  the  modern  meaning  of  the  word,  as 
they  were  simply  leaders  who  directed  affairs  in 
times  of  crisis. 

And  times  of  crisis  were  frequent  at  this  stage 
of  Israel's  development.  Although  entering  Ca- 
naan at  a  time  when  its  defensive  power  was 
weakest,  Israel  was  kept  in  a  constant  state  of 
petty  warfare  and  oppression  in  which  one  of  the 
culminating  points  was  a  decisive  battle  on  the 
plains  of  Esdraelon.  In  these  experiences  Israel 
looked  upon  her  judges  as  deliverers,  who  would 
direct  her  affairs  until  the  danger  was  over. 

Among  the  thirteen  judges  of  whom  we  have 

mention  was  a  woman,  Deborah  by  name,  whose 

religious  patriotism  and  qualities  of 

Deborah's  Call   leadership   roused  the   nation.     The 

to  Service  ^     ^ 

narrative  says  she  was  the  wife  of 
Lappidoth,  and,  although  apparently  denied  chil- 
dren of  her  own,  she  became  in  a  real  sense  "a. 
mother  in  Israel." 

"It  was  a  time  of  miserable  thraldom  in  Israel 
when  Deborah  became  aware  of  her  destiny  and 
began  the  sacred  enterprise  of  her  life.  From 
Hazor  in  the  north  near  the  waters  of  Merom,  Israel 
was  ruled  by  Jabin,  king  of  the  Canaanites,  while 
defenseless  and  crushed,  the  Israelites  lay  crying 
to  gods  that  could  not  save. 


Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel        55 

"Deborah's  childhood  was  probably  s]:)ent  in 
some  village  of  Issachar,  her  home  a  rude  hut 
covered  with  brushwood  and  clay.  Her  parents, 
we  must  believe,  had  more  religious  feeling  than 
was  common  among  Hebrews  of  the  time,  and 
often  spoke  to  her  of  the  name  and  law  of  Jehovah. 

"But  with  the  exception  of  brief,  oral  traditions 
fitfully  repeated  and  an  example  of  reverence  for 
sacred  things,  a  mere  girl  would  have  no  advan- 
tages. She,  with  the  others,  doubtless  felt  the 
tyranny  and  the  shame  of  the  Canaanite  oppression; 
for  the  soldiers  of  Jabin  came  and  lived  in  free 
quarters  among  the  villagers,  wasting  their  prop- 
erty. The  people  turned  thriftless  and  sullen. 
Now  and  again  there  might  be  a  riot.  Maddened 
by  insults  and  extortion,  the  men  of  the  village 
would  make  a  stand.  But  without  weapons,  with- 
out a  leader,  what  could  they  effect?  The  Ca- 
naanite troops  were  upon  them ;  some  were  killed, 
others  carried  away,  and  things  became  worse  than 
before. 

"Then  it  was  that  Deborah's  soul  must  have 
gone  forth  to  her  people,  and  their  sad  state  moved 
her  to  something  more  than  a  woman's  grief  and 
rebellion.  As  the  years  went  by,  traditions  of  the 
past  revealed  their  meaning  to  her.  Once  her 
people  had  swept  victoriously  through  the  land 
and  triumphed  by  the  help  and  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah.     Clearly  the  need  was  for  a  new  covenant 


56  Lives  Worth  Living 

with  him;  the  people  must  repent  and  turn  to 
Jehovah.  As  she  spoke  more  and  more  eagerly, 
as  she  ventured  to  urge  the  men  of  her  village  to 
bestir  themselves,  doubtless  a  few  were  moved, 
but  more  derided  her.  In  vain  she  looked  for  a 
man  of  Jehovah  to  rekindle  a  flame  in  the  nation's 
heart.  It  was  only  in  her  own  soul;  she  might 
wake  it  in  other  souls;  Jehovah  helping  her,  she 
would."^ 

In  a  quiet,  retired  place  between  Ramah  and 
Beth-el,  "under  the  palm-tree"  Deborah  chose  her 
dwelling-place,  and  to  this  spot  came 
DeUvere;*^^  those  who  Still  kept  their  faith  in 
Jehovah  and  longed  for  deliverance 
from  their  enemies.  It  must  have  been  a  strange 
experience  for  Israel  to  have  heard  a  woman  plead- 
ing for  the  freedom  of  her  people.  The  Israelites 
could  but  feel  that  a  spirit  so  fearless  as  hers,  and  a 
vision  so  prophetic,  must  be  inspired  by  Jehovah; 
so  she  became  to  them  a  prophetess  pointing  out 
anew  the  path  to  power. 

In  the  song  which  tradition  attributes  to  her 
Deborah  herself  says,  "By  the  watercourses  of 
Reuben  there  were  great  resolves  of  heart,"  when 
the  strong  men  of  the  tribes  took  solemn  vows 
to  redeem  Israel.  Ephraim  and  Zebulun  and 
Benjamin  and  Naphtali  and  "the  princes  of 
Issachar  were  with  Deborah."     But  Judah  and 

'  Expositor's  Bible,  "Book  of  Judges,"  chap.  vii. 


Deb(jrah — ^A  Champion  of  Israel        57 

Simeon  and  Reuben  and  Manasseh  and  Asher  failed 
to  respond,  and  Dan  was  absorbed  in  his  own 
local  affairs. 

The  weeks  and  the  months  passed,  and  the  plan 
of  campaign  needed  only  a  leader.  At  this  crisis 
Deborah  turned  to  Barak  of  Kedesh-naphtali,  in 
whom  she  doubtless  recognized  the  ability  to  lead. 
She  ordered  him  to  go  to  mount  Tabor  with  ten 
thousand  men  where  he  would  meet  Sisera,  and, 
with  the  help  of  Jehovah,  overcome  him.  But 
Barak  lacked  the  religious  enthusiasm  of  Deborah. 
"If  thou  wilt  go  with  me,  then  I  will  go;  but  if 
thou  wilt  not  go  with  me,  I  will  not  go,"  was  his 
unheroic  reply.  But  Deborah  had  no  fear.  She 
went  with  him;  she  pointed  out  the  enemy;  she 
inspired  Barak  with  courage  until  the  hosts  of 
Sisera  were  routed  and  Sisera  himself  was  obliged 
to  escape  on  foot.  At  the  hand  of  a  woman  named 
Jael  he  met  the  death  from  which  he  thought  he 
had  escaped. 

Deborah's  war  poem  is  the  poetical  account  of 

these    historical    events,    and    is    probably    older 

than  the  prose  narrative,  as  it  was 

Deborah's  Song  . 

these  national  songs  that  became  the 
nucleus  of  much  of  the  history  of  that  early 
time. 

It  is  a  dramatic  story  of  a  great  crisis  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Israelites,  and  pictures  the  gathering 
of  the  tribes,  the  battle  on  the  Esdraelon  plain,  the 


58  Lives  Worth  Living 

death  of  the  enemy  Sisera,  and  the  anxious  mother 
watching  for  his  return. 

Deborah  rejoiced  because  her  people  were 
again  free  and  because  Jehovah  was  all-powerful. 
According  to  Deborah's  thought  and  that  of  the 
time,  this  victory  over  the  enemies  of  Israel  was  a 
victory  of  Jehovah  over  the  Canaanitish  gods,  and 
in  that  sense  a  basis  for  a  great  religious  revival. 

In  the  midst  of  the  song  she  enumerates  the 
faithful  tribes  who  shared  the  labor  and  thus 
have  a  place  among  the  victors.  Then  she  recalls 
one  town,  Meroz,  that  had  hung  back:  ''Curse  ye 
Meroz;  curse  ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof; 
because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  Jehovah, 
to  the  help  of  Jehovah  against  the  mighty."  This 
vindictive  outburst  is  an  expression  of  indigna- 
tion against  those  who  enjoyed  the  results  of  a 
victory  which  they  did  nothing  to  secure. 

Thus  while  Deborah  sings  her  song  of  battle 
there  is  in  her  heart  great  adoration  of  Jehovah 
which  finds  expression  in  the  closing  lines,  "So 
let  all  thine  enemies  perish,  O  Jehovah:  but  let 
them  that  love  him  be  as  the  sun  when  he  goeth 
forth  in  his  might." 

Central  Idea  of  the  Story 

The  moral  energy  and  spiritual  enthusiasm  of 
Deborah  delivered  a  nation. 


Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel        59 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  Recall  the  important  events  in  the  history  of 
Israel  from  the  death  of  Joshua  to  the  time  of 
Deborah. 

2.  What  did  the  judges  do  toward  establishing  the 
national  life  of  Israel?     How  were  they  chosen? 

3.  How  do  you  account  for  a  woman  filling  the  {posi- 
tion of  judge  in  ancient  Israel  ? 

4.  Who  was  Deborah  ?  How  was  she  influenced  by 
the  oppression  of  her  people?  What  was  the  con- 
trolling passion  of  her  life?  Notice  the  progress  in 
her  public  influence. 

5.  What  qualities  of  leadership  did  she  possess? 
What  was  she  able  to  accomplish  ? 

6.  Compare  the  championship  of  Deborah  with  that 
of  David  fighting  Goliath,  to  get  the  true  meaning  of 
the  word  "champion"  as  applied  to  Deborah. 

7.  What  characteristics  of  Deborah  are  similar  to 
those  of  Joan  of  Arc  ? 

8.  Does  the  narrative  reveal  those  characteristics 
of  Barak  that  justify  his  position  as  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  army?  What  did  Barak  recognize  in 
Deborah's  leadership  ? 

*g.  The  song  attributed  to  Deborah  is  one  of  the 
most  \'igorous  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  ancient  He- 
brew poems.  Study  it  from  the  point  of  view  of  its 
literary  quality,  from  the  point  of  view  of  its  religious 
spirit,  and  as  a  revelation  of  national  conditions. 
To  whom  is  it  addressed  ?  Find  in  it  the  war- 
cry  that  roused  the  people  to  action  and  the  sense  of 
Jehovah's    presence    with    his    people.     How    does 


6o  Lives  Worth  Living 

Deborah  describe  the  assembling  of  the  tribes  ?  Make 
yourself  hear  the  tramp  of  the  horse-hoofs,  the  clash 
of  arms,  and  the  march  of  the  people.  What  sug- 
gestion of  a  great  storm  do  you  find  in  the  chapter? 
What  is  the  meaning  of  the  expression,  "the  stars 
in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera"?  What  lines 
in  the  poem  tell  us  the  result  of  the  battle  ?  Name  the 
principal  characters  mentioned  and  describe  the  part 
which  each  took  in  the  story.  Memorize  the  sections 
from  this  poem  which  appeal  to  you  most  strongly. 

*io.  Compare  Deborah's  song  and  Julia  Ward 
Howe's  "Battle  Hymn  of  the  Republic." 

11.  Why  was  Deborah  so  angry  with  Meroz  ?     Why 
was  she  so  exultant  over  the  deed  of  Jael  ? 

1 2.  In  what  different  ways  does  the  sin  of  Meroz  find 
expression  in  our  national  life  ? 

*i3.  What  Canaanites  are  abroad  in  our  land  today  ? 
What  Deborahs  are  working  against  them  ?  In  what 
respects  are  their  qualities  of  leadership  similar  ? 

Reference  Books 

Brooks,  Phillips,  The  Candle  of  the  Lord,  chap,  xvii,  "The  Curse 
of  Meroz." 

Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools  and  Colleges,  "Book  of  Judges." 
*Expositor's  Bible,  "Book  of  Judges." 

Hastings,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  article  "Deborah." 

Moulton,  R.  G.,  The  Modern  Reader's  Bible,  "Deborah's  Song," 
p.  223. 

Sanders,  Frank  K.,  History  of  the  Hebrews,  chap,  v,  "The  Con- 
quest and  Settlement  of  Canaan." 


Woman's  Public  Influence  6r 

CHAPTER  III— LESSON  VI 
Woman's  Public  Influence 

"Every  individual  is  in  real  danger  who  fails  to 
establish  some  sort  of  genuine  relation  with  the  people 
about  him."' 

"It  has  been  shown  that  women  can  be  both  wise 
and  womanly;  can  speak  in  public  without  sacrificing 
their  dignity;  can  be  graduated  from  a  coeducational 
institution  without  becoming  masculine;  that  they 
can  interest  themselves  in  making  possible  'the  right 
to  childhood'  for  the  children  of  less  fortunate  women, 
without  neglecting  their  own;  and  be  better  home- 
makers  and  home-lovers  because  their  interests  are  not 
confined  within  their  own  four  walls. "^ 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

Woman's  public  influence  through  the  home  as  wife, 
mother,  or  woman  of  leisure. 

Woman's  public  influence  through  organization  in 
clubs,  churches,  settlements,  labor  unions,  welfare 
stations,  playground  associations,  civic  and  social 
centers,  schools,  and,  in  many  places,  the  ballot. 

General  Survey 

We  recently  considered  woman's  privilege  in 
her  home  (chap,  ii,  lesson  iv),  and  realized  that 
the     responsibilities    of     the    home-maker    were 

'  Jane  Addams,  Twenty  Years  at  Hull  House. 
^  Mary  E.  Woolley,  "The  Prejudice  of  Yesterday,"  Woman's 
Journal,  April,  19 14. 


62  Lives  Worth  Living 


Used  by  permission 

JANE  ADDAMS,  OF  HULL  HOUSE 


Woman's  Public  Influence  63 

manifold  and  most  fundamental.  But  no  con- 
ception of  a  woman's  influence  in  the  world  of  to- 
day is  complete  unless  her  public  as  well  as  her 
home  influence  is  considered.  Indeed,  so  inti- 
mately have  these  come  to  be  related  that  woman's 
public  influence  helps  to  make  her  home  purer 
and  safer,  while  by  means  of  her  home  she  is  often 
able  to  exert  a  public  influence. 

As  wife  and  mother,  woman  is  shaping  public 
opinion,  and  it  is  public  opinion  largely  which 
establishes  the  morals  of  a  community.  "The 
morals  of  a  country  are  what  public  opinion  makes 
them,  and  public  opinion  is,  for  the  most  part, 
formed  in  the  home.  Around  the  breakfast  table 
and  before  the  fireside  are  set  in  motion  those 
influences  which  nominate  presidents,  create  laws, 
establish  justice,  or  enthrone  vice.  If  individuals 
mold  the  state,  and  if  environment  molds  the 
individual,  the  mother  is  the  world's  most  potent 
influence,  for  she  is  literally  the  environment  of  the 
child  in  his  most  plastic  period."' 

In  the  complexity  of  our  life  today,  we  have 
become  so  dependent  upon  the  life  of  others  that 
no  longer  is  a  mother's  responsibility  bounded  by 
the  walls  of  her  own  nursery  or  confined  to  the 
members  of  her  own  household.  The  art  of  the 
world  has  enthroned  woman  with  a  child  in  her 
arms,  and   in   so   far  as   the  figure  of  the  child 

'  Josiah  Strong, 


64  Lives  Worth  Living 

represents  universal  childhood  the  syrrrbol  is  a  true 
one.  Like  Deborah,  who  became  "a  mother  in 
Israel,"  the  motherhood  of  today  must  include 
the  community;  and  woman's  work  does  not  end 
until  life  is  safe  and  beautiful  for  everybody's 
child. 

Although  a  woman's  public  influence  as  a 
mother  may  be  greater  than  her  public  influence 
as  a  wife,  yet  many  a  public  service  may  be  traced 
to  a  wife's  sympathy,  counsel,  and  conscience; 
while  those  words  of  primitive  man,  "The  woman 
whom  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of 
the  tree,  and  I  did  eat"  (Gen.  3:12),  have  proved 
for  man  in  every  age  a  convenient  shield. 

But  what  of  the  large  number  of  women  who  are 
neither  wives  nor  mothers  ?  Invention  and  social 
conditions  have  forced  many  women  out  of  their 
homes,  and  we  find  them  in  increasing  numbers  in 
almost  every  occupation.  Our  mothers  tell  us 
that  in  their  day  there  were  but  few  opportunities 
for  woman  to  offer  any  public  service.  If  a  woman 
failed  to  marry,  she  could  be  either  a  school-teacher 
or  a  dressmaker,  and  once  in  a  great  while  a 
woman  would  write  a  book  of  poems  or  of  intro- 
spective essays.  But  today  there  is  an  army  of 
office  women  and  clerks  competing  with  men  for 
positions  of  responsibility  and  service.  There  are 
also  large  numbers  of  women  in  factories  who  do 
work  formerly  done  in  the  home,  thus  giving  to 


Woman's  Public  Influence  65 

another  large  company  of  women  leisure  and  free- 
dom from  labor.  That  so  many  women  of  wealth 
and  leisure  are  devoting  themselves  to  the  relief 
and  betterment  of  others,  rather  than  to  lavish 
display  and  self-indulgence,  indicates  a  growing 
sense  of  responsibility  and  a  desire  to  fulfil  any 
obligation  they  may  have  to  others  less  favored. 
From  the  day  Mary  Lyon  uttered  those  notable 
words,  "There  is  nothing  in  all  the  universe  that 
I  fear  but  that  I  shall  not  know  all  my  duty  or 
shall  fail  to  do  it,"  to  the  recent  remark  of  Jane 
Addams,  with  which  this  study  opens,  woman's 
loyalty  and  unselfishness  have  been  bringing  about 
her  emancipation. 

It  is  less  than  a  hundred  years  since  women  in 
this  country  have  been  allowed  the  highest  educa- 
tional opportunities.  The  agitation  against  slavery 
in  i860  forced  them  to  think  and  read  and 
speak,  and  helped  to  strike  off  the  fetters  that  had 
previously  bound  them.  From  that  time  an 
entire  readjustment  of  woman's  relation  to  life 
began  to  take  place,  and  she  sought  opportunities 
for  self-expression  along  cultural  lines.  Countless 
culture  clubs  sprang  into  existence  which  gave 
women  a  new  and  larger  outlook  upon  life.  These, 
in  many  instances,  became  training  schools  where 
the  women  learned  to  think  clearly,  to  speak 
intelligently,  and  to  work  in  organization.  But 
true  culture  is  always  unselfish,  and  these  clubs  soon 


66  Lives  Worth  Living 

broadened  by  adding  departments  of  philanthropy 
and  social  service,  until  now  almost  every  phase 
of  human  welfare  has  its  department  under  the 
General  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs  with  its 
membership  of  more  than  a  million  and  a  half 
of  American  women.  These  clubs  emphasize  the 
idea  that  "woman's  place  is  home,  but  home  is  the 
community,  and  woman's  work  is  race  preserva- 
tion and  race  improvement."' 

But  woman's  quickest  response  has  always  been 
to  spiritual  needs,  and  in  the  work  of  the  church 
she  has  taken  a  large  share.  Ever  since  those 
noble  New  England  women  gave  their  slowly 
accumulating  butter  and  egg  money,  together 
with  their  hearts,  for  the  then  doubtful  cause  of 
missions,  up  to  the  present  day  with  its  deaconesses 
and  pastor's  assistants,  the  women  of  the  church 
have  led  in  its  activities.  As  the  different  organi- 
zations have  arisen  within  the  church  in  response 
to  some  need  at  home  or  abroad,  women  teachers 
and  missionaries  have  been  commissioned  and  are 
working  today  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

One  cannot  fail  to  realize  that  the  public  iriflu- 
ence  of  woman  through  her  church  activities  is  not 
only  an  intellectual  stimulus  and  spiritual  develop- 
ment for  the  woman  herself,  but  also  a  splendid 
record  of  service  rendered.  The  truest,  strongest 
v/omen  of  which  any  community  may  boast  are, 

•  Rheta  Childe  Dorr. 


Woman's  Public  Influence  67 

for  the  most  part,  those  who  give  to  the  church 
self-sacrificing  thought  and  time  and  effort  in 
service  of  others.  The  social  settlements,  play- 
ground associations,  and  other  agencies  for  the 
welfare  of  those  living  in  crowded  industrial  centers 
of  our  large  cities  have  given  women  many  oppor- 
tunities to  render  devoted  public  service.  Miss 
Addams  of  Hull  House,  who  has  frequently  been 
called  Chicago's  most  eminent  citizen,  is  an  ex- 
ample of  the  influence  one  woman  may  have  in 
improving  conditions  in  the  midst  of  a  large 
foreign  population. 

It  is  being  said  today  that  women  cannot  meet 
their  full  public  duty  without  suffrage.  Those  who 
favor  this  plead  that  it  is  a  legitimate  outcome  of 
the  spirit  of  democracy,  and  that  for  woman  to  be 
denied  suffrage  is  as  unjust  as  it  was  for  our  fathers 
to  be  taxed  without  representation.  They  also 
claim  that  the  vote  is  needed  by  women  wage- 
earners,  taxpayers,  and  home-makers,  in  order  to 
protect  their  property  rights;  to  defend  themselves 
against  injustice  and  incompetence;  to  improve 
politics;  to  secure  hygienic  conditions  in  the  pro- 
duction of  food  and  clothing  and  all  forms  of 
public  sanitation. 

On  the  other  hand,  those  who  oppose  woman's, 
suffrage  contend  that  woman  has  greater  influence 
for  the  betterment  of  others  without  the  ballot, 
as  she  is  independent  of  every  party;   that  women 


68  Lives  Worth  Living 

are  not  using  the  opportunities  for  public  service 
they  already  have,  and  that  only  a  comparatively 
small  percentage  of  the  women  desire  suffrage ;  that 
to  woman  belongs  the  life  of  the  home  and  to  man  the 
outside  political  life,  and  that  if  woman  entered  pub- 
lic life  she  might  lose  some  of  her  womanly  graces. 

The  whole  matter  may  be  condensed  into  this 
question:  Granting  that  men  and  women  are 
equal  before  God,  can  woman  exert  an  equal 
influence  with  men  without  the  ballot?  Those 
who  desire  suffrage  claim  she  cannot,  while  those 
opposed  to  suffrage  say  she  can. 

Women  have  the  franchise  in  Finland,  Norway, 
Sweden,  New  Zealand,  and  Australia.  Even 
China  allows  women  to  vote  subject  to  an  educa- 
tional qualification.  In  England,  the  women  have 
demanded  full  suffrage  by  violent  and  somewhat 
questionable  methods,  while  in  our  own  country, 
Colorado,  Utah,  Wyoming,  Idaho,  Washington, 
California,  and  Illinois  have  given  women  the 
franchise,  and  several  other  states  are  to  vote  upon 
it  within  a  year. 

Miss  Sophonisba  Breckinridge,  assistant  pro- 
fessor of  social  economy  at  the  University  of 
Chicago,  wrote  of  the  first  Chicago  election  in 
which  women  voters  had  a  part:  "In  this  quick- 
ened sense  of  power  and  responsibility  on  the  part 
of  the  women,  in  this  conscious  awakening  of  a  new 
interest  on  the  part  of  the  men.  in  this  new  com- 


Woman's  Public  Influence  6y 

munity  of  interest  in  the  family  group,  in  the  new 
neighborliness,  as  well  as  in  the  presence  of  a 
number  of  good  men  elected  on  party  tickets  and 
an  added  group  elected  on  a  non-partisan  basis,  are 
to  be  found  a  few  of  the  results  obvious  to  any 
honest  and  intelligent  observer  of  the  women  voters 
of  Chicago  at  their  first  election." 

Professor  Dallas  L.  Sharp  of  Boston  University 
declares  that  suffrage  is  as  rational  as  any  other 
process  of  evolution.  He  believes  that  "a  man's 
instinctive  attitude  toward  equal  suffrage  is  largely 
a  matter  of  the  women  he  has  had  for  mother,  sister, 
wife,  and  daughter.  He  is  pro  or  anti  according  as 
they  have  made  themselves  one  with  him,  or  have 
made  him  the  end  of  their  being.'.' 

The  influence  of  women  in  industry  must  be  left 
to  a  later  lesson  (chap,  v,  lesson  x),  yet  when  we 
realize  that  in  1900  America  had  six  million  working 
women  and  that  59  per  cent  of  all  American  young 
women  were  earning  their  living,  the  influence 
upon  our  public  life  is  important  enough  to  demand 
attention.  That  such  women  as  Mrs.  Florence 
Kelley,  of  New  York,  and  Mrs.  Raymond  Robins, 
of  Chicago,  have  given  their  thought  and  energy 
toward  the  betterment  of  these  working  women 
and  endeavored  through  trade  unions  and  the 
press  to  secure  for  them  better  legislation  and 
safer  working  conditions  reveals  another  form  of 
woman's  public  influence. 


70  Lives  Worth  Living 

Martha  Bensley  Bruere  says:  "We  housewives 
must  subordinate  the  work  of  keeping  house  to 
the  business  of  living.  It  is  time  that  we  under- 
take the  woman's  job  of  seeing  that  all  the  race  is 
well  born,  well  fed,  well  trained,  and  happy.  To 
do  this,  we  must  learn  to  work  together  to  socialize 
housekeeping,  as  men  are  learning  to  work  together 
to  socialize  business,  and  it  will  be  a  great  shame  to 
us  if  we  let  love  of  ease,  or  ignorance,  or  needless 
work  keep  us  from  standing  shoulder  to  shoulder 
with  our  men  in  their  fight  to  create  the  world 
anew." 

For  Continued  Thought 

Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  these 
my  brethren,  even  these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  me 
(Matt.  25:40). 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  Why  has  the  nineteenth  century  been  called  the 
woman's  century  ? 

2.  Upon  what  problems  of  our  American  life  is 
woman's  influence  especially  needed  ? 

3.  In  what  ways  are  women  already  exerting  public 
influence?  Compare  this  with  their  influence  in  the 
home. 

4.  Does  the  spirit  of  Deborah  exist  today  ? 

5.  Do  you  think  that  woman  lessens  her  influence 
in  the  home  by  undertaking  various  activities  outside 
the  home  ? 


Woman's  Public  Influence  71 

6.  Who  are  the  "women  of  leisure"?  What  are 
their  special  opportunities  for  service?  What  are 
their  special  temptations  ? 

7.  What  has  woman  accomplished  by  organization  ? 

8.  What  gains  have  come  to  woman  through  legis- 
lation ? 

9.  What  opportunities  has  woman  in  the  church  ? 

10.  What  are  the  arguments  for  and  against  woman 
suffrage  ? 

11.  Is  it  possible  for  woman  without  the  ballot  to 
exert  an  equal  influence  with  man? 

12.  Describe  the  work  of  Jane  Addams  at  Hull 
House, 

*i3.  Mention  several  other  women  of  our  own  and 
other  countries  who  have  exerted  a  large  influence  in 
public  affairs.  Describe  the  work  of  at  least  one  of  them. 
14,  Compare  the  outlook  upon  life  of  Elizabeth 
Bennett  in  Pride  and  Prejudice  with  that  of  Alison 
Parr  in  The  Inside  of  the  Cup. 

*i$.  Is   one's    influence   commensurate   with   one's 
efficiency  ? 

Reference  Books 

*Addams,  Jane,  Twenty  Years  at  Hull  House. 

Dorr,  Rheta  Childe,  What  Eight  Million  Women  Want. 
\Hull  House  Year  Book,  Chicago.     Pamphlet,  lo  cents. 

Montgomery,  Helen  B.,  Western  Women  in  Eastern  Lands. 
fNational  American  Woman  Suffrage  Association,  505  Fifth  Ave., 

New  York.     Pamphlets, 
i" National  Association  Opposed  to  Woman  Suffrage,  29  W.  Thirty- 
ninth  St.,  New  York.     Pamphlets. 

Raymond,  Maud  W.,  The  Kings  Business. 

Schreimer,  Olive,  Woman  and  Labor. 

Stetson,  Charlotte  Perkins,  Women  and  Economics, 


CHAPTER  IV— LESSON  VII 

RUTH— THE  IMMIGRANT 
Introduction 

The  Book  of  Ruth  is  an  extremely  interesting  short 
story.  Most  of  its  scenes  occur  in  the  out-of-door  life 
of  a  farming  community,  and  follow  one  another  with 
the  swift  movement  of  a  drama.  While  it  pictures  the 
life  and  customs  of  a  primitive  people,  its  chief  interest 
is  the  romantic  love  story,  the  heroine  of  which  has  all 
the  grace  and  charm  of  noble  young  womanhood. 

This  idyl  has  a  permanent  place  in  Hebrew  literature 
and  there  is  no  more  beautiful  expression  of  devotion 
in  any  language  than  that  found  in  the  opening  chapter. 

An  opportunity  is  thus  given  to  read  a  whole  book 
of  the  Bible  at  one  sitting,  and  for  that  reason  no 
Scripture  text  is  given  in  this  lesson.  The  entire  Book 
of  Ruth  should  be  read  from  the  Bible  before  the  read- 
ing of  the  interpretation  as  given  in  the  lesson,  while 
the  earnest  pupil  will  follow  this  with  a  second  reading 
of  the  Bible  story  to  gain  a  stronger  appreciation  of  its 
beauty  and  meaning,  and  to  discover  its  message  in 
regard  to  the  intermingling  of  nations. 

An  Interpretation  of  the  Story 

The  story  of  Ruth  comes  as  a  delightful  inter- 
ruption in  the  long  history  of  conflict  and  war  which 

72 


Ruth — The  Immigrant 


73 


characterized  Israel  under  the  judges.  It  takes 
us  from   the  noise  and  commotion  of  battle  to 

the  problems  and  tasks  of  a  simple 
Ruth  °°   °        Hebrew  home,  and  replaces  deeds  of 

treachery  and  violence  with  acts  of 
pure,  unselfish  affection. 


— ^60    Bruck-Lajos 


RUTH 


It  is  also  a  picture  of  domestic  affection  between 
members  of  different  nations.  Its  author  prob- 
ably Hved  long  after  the  date  of  the  incidents  he 
recorded,  perhaps  some  time  after  the  exile,  when 
feeling  against  the  foreigner  was  strong.  Whether 
he  presents  the  fact  that  the  ancestry  of  King 


74  Lives  Worth  Living 

David  included  a  Moabitish  strain  as  an  argument 
in  favor  of  Israel's  cultivating  political  alliance 
with  alien  peoples,  is  not  certain;  but  it  is  clear  that 
he  believes  in  the  possibility  of  friendly  relations, 
even  the  tenderest  ties,  between  Israelites  and 
non-Israelites,  and  in  welcoming  the  latter  to  the 
enjoyment  of  Israel's  religion. 

"The  narrator  manifestly  takes  delight  in  the 
graceful  and  attractive  details  of  his  picture.  His 
principal  characters  are  amiable.  God-fearing, 
courteous,  unassuming;  and  all,  in  different  ways, 
show  how  a  religious  spirit  may  be  carried  un- 
ostentatiously into  the  conduct  of  daily  life." 

The  story  begins  at  a  time  of  famine  in  the 
Bethlehem  valley  which  lasted  long  enough  to 
make  it  necessary  that  a  certain 
hem^to  Moab  Hebrew  family  leave  the  land  of  their 
ancestors  and  seek  a  home  elsewhere. 
Journeying  toward  the  east  and  beyond  the  Dead 
Sea,  they  came  to  the  highlands  of  Moab,  where 
they  decided  to  make  their  dwelling.  Here  they 
found  a  people  speaking  a  language  similar  to  their 
own,  while  most  of  them  owned  and  cultivated 
large  fields  of  grain  and  raised  great  flocks  and 
herds.  It  was  comparatively  but  a  short  distance 
in  miles  from  Bethlehem  to  the  "Field  of  Moab," 
but  the  people  of  Moab  worshiped  Chemoth  instead 
of  Jehovah,  and  that  difference  in  religion  to  a 
Hebrew  meant  immeasurable  distance. 


Ruth — The  Immigrant  75 

During  the  next  few  years,  joys  and  sorrows  were 
strangely  mingled.  Sounds  of  wedding  festivities 
were  changed  to  grief  and  mourning, 
the^H^o^me"  ^^^  Elimelech  and  both  his  sons  died, 
leaving  Naomi  alone  with  her  two 
Moabitish  daughters-in-law.  How  natural  that 
Naomi  should  feel  that  she  could  no  longer  "sing 
the  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land,"  and  that  she 
should  turn  longingly  to  her  own  country.  And 
so  great  was  the  affection  and  sympathy  that 
Ruth  and  Orpah  felt  for  Naomi,  they  determined 
to  return  with  her  to  the  land  of  Judah. 

With  the  memory  of  a  common  happiness  and 
a  common  sorrow  the  daughters-in-law  accom- 
panied her  on  her  journey.  For 
for  BetWehem  Naomi,  there  was  now  no  tie  to  bind 
her  to  Moab.  She  had  heard  of  the 
large  crops  in  her  own  land,  and,  alone  and  sad, 
she  was  anxious  to  be  with  her  own  people  again. 
But  what  future  was  there  for  Ruth  and  Orpah 
in  Judah,  where  they  had  no  friends  except  Naomi, 
and  where  they  would  be  treated  like  aliens  because 
of  their  religion?  In  their  own  country,  they 
might  return  to  their  father's  house,  and  perhaps 
later  marry  again. 

Naomi  fully  reaUzed  that  she  had  but  little  to 
offer  them  if  they  went  with  her.  Much  as  she 
needed  their  help  and  companionship,  she  put  aside 
all  thought  of  personal  gain,  and,  after  talking  the 


76  Lives  Worth  Living 

matter  over  with  them,  thanked  them  for  their 
kindness  and  affection  and,  with  her  richest  blessing 
for  the  future,  urged  them  to  return  to  their  own 
people.  Naomi's  words  were  kind  and  persuasive. 
Orpah  found  in  them  reasons  for  returning  to  her 
childhood  home;  but  for  Ruth  they  cemented  an 
affection  which  found  expression  in  the  words  which 
we  have  just  read  in  the  Bible  story. 

"The  simple  dignity  of  the  iteration  in  varying 
phrase  till  the  climax  is  reached  beyond  which  no 
promise  could  go;  the  quiet  fervor  of  the  feeling; 
the  thought  which  seems  to  have  almost  a  Chris- 
tian depth — all  are  beautiful,  pathetic,  noble. 
From  this  moment,  a  charm  lingers  about  Ruth  and 
she  becomes  dearer  to  us  than  any  woman  of  whom 
the  Hebrew  records  tell."' 

"Ruth's  love  for  Naomi  is  a  wonderful  love  for 
an  ancient  world.  It  is  the  love  of  a  woman  for  a 
woman.  Male  suitors  are  passed  by,  ignored, 
neglected.  It  is  a  love  involving  deep  privation, 
for  she  gives  up  everything,  her  country,  her  social 
caste,  her  relations,  her  chances,  and  her  associa- 
tions of  worship."^ 

After  Ruth's  appeal  there  was  no  longer  any 
thought  of  turning  back.  Together  they  journeyed 
to  Bethlehem,  reaching  there  at  the  beginning  of 
the  barley  harvest.     The  news  of  Naomi's  return 

'  Expositor's  Bible,  "Book  of  Ruth,"  chap.  ii. 

'  Matheson,  Representative  Women  of  the  Bible,  p.  182. 


Ruth — The  Immigrant  77 

spread  quickly  from  home  to  home,  and  neighbors 
and  friends  added  their  welcome  and  listened  to 

all  that  had  happened  during  the 
panics  Na^i     ^^^  ycars  sincc  shc  left  Bethlehem. 

"Call  me  not  Naomi,  call  me  Mara; 
for  the  Almighty  hath  dealt  very  bitterly  with  me. 
I  went  out  full,  and  Jehovah  hath  brought  me 
home  again  empty,"  was  her  lament  as  she  greeted 
them. 

And  now  in  a  strange  land,  among  a  strange 
people,  Ruth  sought  to  provide  for  herself  and 

Naomi.  There  was  a  Mosaic  law 
Gleaner^  which  Commanded  that  the  fruits  of 

the  fields  and  vineyards  should  not 
be  wholly  removed,  but  that  a  portion  always  be 
left  "for  the  sojourner,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for 
the  widow."'  So  Ruth,  with  Naomi's  permission, 
went  to  the  barley  fields  to  glean,  and  followed 
the  reapers  of  a  man  named  Boaz,  who  proved  to 
be  a  kinsman  of  Naomi. 

On  the  very  day  that  Ruth  began  to  glean, 
Boaz  visited  his  harvest  field.     The  narrative  shows 

him  to  be  a  man  of  influence,  gener- 
Kinsman  ^^^  ^^^   courteous   to   his   workers. 

His  greetings  to  his  laborers  and  their 

friendly  response  revealed  a  kindly  spirit  on  both 

sides,  while  his  custom  of  personally  inspecting  his 

harvest  fields  showed  him  to  be  a  wise  and  careful 

'Lev.  19:9;  Deut.  24:19. 


78  Lives  Worth  Living 

husbandman.  Thus  it  was  that  he  noticed  the 
stranger  and  inquired  who  she  might  be.  Learning 
that  she  was  the  Moabitish  woman  who  had 
returned  with  Naomi,  Boaz  spoke  to  Ruth  herself, 
telhng  her  to  remain  in  his  fields,  keeping  with  the 
other  young  women,  and  also  directing  the  reapers 
not  to  disturb  but  to  allow  her  to  drink  from  their 
water  jars  whenever  she  was  thirsty.  It  is  a  far 
cry  from  the  water  jars  in  the  barley  field  of  Boaz 
to  the  one  brought  to  King  David,  three  genera- 
tions later,  when  as  an  exile  he  cried,  "Oh,  that 
one  would  give  me  to  drink  of  the  well  of  Beth- 
lehem which  is  by  the  gate  " ;'  yet  in  all  probability 
both  were  refreshed  from  the  same  well. 

Because  of  her  character  and  her  kindness  to 
Naomi,  Boaz  gladly  gave  her  a  place  among  his 
gleaners;  his  friendly  benediction,  *' Jehovah 
recompense  thy  work,  and  a  full  reward  be  given 
thee  of  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  under  whose 
wings  thou  art  come  to  take  refuge,"  made  her 
feel  that  she  was  no  longer  an  alien  and  a  stranger, 
and  Ruth  continued  to  glean  until  the  end  of  the 
harvest,  dwelling  with  her  mother-in-law. 

There  seems  to  be  a  long  lapse  of  time  between 
the  events  given  thus  far  and  those  that  follow. 
Naomi,  evidently  disappointed  that  the  kindly 
attentions  of  Boaz  had  not  resulted  in  his  taking 
the  part  of  kinsman  and  providing  for  the  future 

'  II  Sam.  23:14-15. 


Ruth — The  Immigrant  79 

of  Ruth,  determined  to  take  matters  into  her  own 
hands.  She  reminded  Ruth  of  an  old  law  that  no 
Ruth  at  the  Hebrew  family  should  be  allowed  to 
Threshing-  die  out,  but  that  it  was  the  duty 
of  the  nearest  kinsman  to  buy  the 
property  and  marry  the  widow  that  the  name  of  the 
family  might  be  preserved.'  Whereupon  Naomi 
proposed  a  plan  by  which  Ruth  was  to  claim 
Boaz  as  the  kinsman  whose  duty  it  was  to  marry 
her  and  become  her  protector.  Accordingly  Ruth 
was  to  go  to  the  threshing-floor  on  the  night  of  the 
winnowing  of  the  harvest,  and  when  Boaz  had 
lain  him  down  to  sleep,  Ruth  was  to  place  herself 
at  his  feet  as  a  reminder  of  a  kinsman's  duty. 

To  us  the  plan  seems  most  hazardous  and  ques- 
tionable, although  there  may  have  been  some  cus- 
tom of  the  time  which  sanctioned  it.  Ruth's 
confidence  in  Naomi  was  sufficient  to  enable  her 
to  agree  to  the  plan,  while  her  own  strength  of 
character  was  met  by  the  strong  sense  of  honor 
for  womanhood  which  Boaz  displayed  as  he 
accepted  the  responsibility  which  she  suggested. 

The  interest  which  Naomi  felt  for  Ruth's  future 
may  be  measured  by  the  joy  which  she  expressed 
at  Ruth's  success,  while  the  fact  that  Boaz  was 
not  entirely  indifferent  may  be  gathered  from  the 
promptness  with  he  sought  to  bring  about  the  ful- 
filment of  his  promise. 

•  Deut.  25:5. 


8o  Lives  Worth  Living 

But  Naomi  has  a  nearer  kinsman  than  Boaz. 

This  kinsman  Boaz  meets  at  the  city  gate  (the 

place    where    pubHc    business    was 

Boaz  at  the  ■,  .  i.    j\  j       -ii. 

City  Gate  always  transacted),  and  with  a  jury 

of  elders,  the  matter  of  redeeming 
the  land  that  was  Elimelech's  is  presented.  Al- 
though the  relative  will  buy  the  land,  he  is  unwilling 
to  take  Ruth  as  his  wife,  so,  according  to  ancient 
custom,  he  removes  his  shoe  and  gives  it  to  Boaz, 
thus  renouncing  his  right  of  redemption.  Here 
is  another  ancient  custom,  as  little  known  to  us  as 
the  gleaning  of  grain,  or  the  duty  of  a  kinsman. 
To  hand  one's  shoe  to  another  in  the  presence  of 
one's  neighbors  was,  for  the  people  of  that  time,  a 
solemn  contract,  while  the  tribunal  of  ten  elders 
of  the  city  was  as  truly  a  court  of  justice  as  our 
Supreme  Court  of  today. 

The  decision    of    the    near    kinsman    made    it 

possible  for  Boaz  to  fulfil  his  promise  to  Ruth. 

Naomi's  solicitation  was  at  an  end. 

Boaz  Marries     j^^^j^,^  faithfulness  had  its  reward. 

Later  history  distinguished  her,  for 
her  son  became  the  grandfather  of  King  David; 
while  a  later  descendant  was  none  other  than  Jesus, 
the  son  of  Mary. 

Thus  it  is  that  ''the  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  toward 
the  righteous,"  and  the  story  ends  with  an  attract- 
ive picture  of  simple  family  life  of  which  Naomi 
is  the  center,  with  little  Obed  in  her  arms. 


Ruth — The  Immigrant  8i 

Central  Idea  of  the  Story 

The  land  and  religion  of  Israel  were  not  for  her- 
self alone,  but  also  for  the  stranger  within  her  gates. 

"In  every  nation  he  that  feareth  him  [God],  and 
worketh    righteousness,    is    acceptable    to    him" 

(Acts  10:35). 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  When  was  the  story  of  Ruth  probably  written 
and  what  was  the  object  of  the  author  in  writing  it  ? 

2.  Mention  some  features  of  the  agricultural  life 
which  forms  the  background  of  the  story,  and  name 
the  principal  characters. 

3.  What  reason  had  Elimelech  and  his  family  for 
leaving  their  Bethlehem  home  ?  Mention  other  occa- 
sions where  a  similar  exigency  has  changed  the  history  of 
a  people. 

4.  What  place  became  Elimelech 's  new  home  and 
what  important  events  occurred  within  the  next 
few  years  in  his  family  ? 

5.  What  influenced  Ruth  the  Moabitess  to  become 
an  inhabitant  of  Judah  ?  What  did  it  mean  to  Naomi 
to  have  Ruth  return  with  her  ?  What  did  it  mean  to 
Ruth? 

6.  What  must  have  been  the  character  of  Ruth  to 
call  out  such  courtesy  and  consideration  from  every'one  ? 
What  beautiful  expression  of  her  love  did  she  offer  to 
Naomi  ?    Memorize  this. 

7.  Who  was  Boaz  ?  How  did  he  become  acquainted 
with  Ruth  ?     What  strong  qualities  do  you  find  in  his 


82       ■  Lives  Worth  Living 

character?     In  what  ways  did  he  show  his  regard  for 
Ruth? 

8.  What  Hebrew  custom  did  Naomi  depend  upon  in 
her  plan  for  Ruth's  future  ?  What  other  ancient  cus- 
toms are  spoken  of  in  the  narrative  ?' 

9.  What  elements  of  character  in  both  Ruth  and 
Boaz  are  to  be  found  in  the  scene  at  the  threshing- 
floor? 

10.  Give  in  your  own  words  the  story  of  what 
happened  at  the  "gate  of  the  city,"  and  tell  how  the 
future  of  both  Ruth  and  Naomi  was  affected  by  it. 

11.  Mention  several  instances  of  family  affection 
revealed  in  this  lesson,  also  several  incidents  which 
emphasize  the  finer  side  of  early  Hebrew  life. 

12.  Compare  the  picture  of  Naomi  at  the  beginning 
of  the  story  and  the  picture  with  which  the  story  ends. 

13.  What  decisions  prompted  by  affection  shaped 
the  future  career  of  the  different  persons  in  the 
story  ? 

*i4i  Mention  several  modern  instances  in  which 
one's  affections  have  been  decisive  in  shaping  one's 
career. 

15.  How  does  this  story  illustrate  the  value  of  the 
religious  life  in  everyday  affairs  ? 

16.  What  great  king  was  a  descendant  of  Ruth  three 
generations  later  ?  Do  you  find  in  him  any  qualities 
he  might  have  inherited  from  his  great-grandmother  ? 

*i7.  In  what  respects  was  the  arrival  of  Ruth  in  a 
strange  land  similar  to  that  of  immigrant  women  com- 
ing to  our  land  today  ?    What  consideration  did  Ruth 

'  Consult  Deut.,  chaps.  24  and  25;  also  Le.'.,  chaps.  19  and  25. 


Ruth — The  Immigrant  83 

receive  that  most  of  our  young  immigrants  do  not  ? 
What  sacrifice  did  she  make  ? 

*i8.  What  value  has  the  story  with  reference  to  our 
attitude  toward  the  foreigner? 

Reference  Books 

*Exposiior's  Bible,  "The  Book  of  Ruth." 
Hastings,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible. 

Matheson,  George,  Representative  Women  oj  the  Bible,  chap,  viii, 
"Ruth  the  Decided." 


CHAPTER  IV— LESSON  VIII 
Women  Immigrants  in  America 

America  the  Beautiful' 

O  beautiful  for  spacious  skies, 

For  amber  waves  of  grain, 
For  purple  mountain  majesties 

Above  the  fruited  plain! 
America!     America! 

God  shed  His  grace  on  thee 
And  crown  thy  good  with  brotherhood 

From  sea  to  shining  sea! 

O  beautiful  for  pilgrim  feet, 

Whose  stern,  impassioned  stress 
A  thoroughfare  for  freedom  beat 

Across  the  wilderness! 
America!     America! 

God  mend  thine  every  flaw, 
Confirm  thy  soul  in  self-control 

Thy  liberty  in  law ! 

0  beautiful  for  heroes  proved 

In  liberating  strife, 
Who  more  than  self  their  country  loved, 

And  mercy  more  than  life! 
America!     America! 

May  God  thy  gold  refine, 
Till  all  success  be  nobleness. 

And  every  gain  divine! 

O  beautiful  for  patriot  dream 

That  sees  beyond  the  years 
Thine  alabaster  cities  gleam 
Undimmed  by  human  tears! 

America!     America! 
God  shed  His  grace  on  thee 
And  crown  thy  good  with  brotherhood 
From  sea  to  shining  sea! 

— Katharine  Lee  Bates 
'  Reprinted  by  permission. 

84 


Women  Immigrants  in  America 


85 


86  Lives  Worth  Living 

"To  the  Christian  the  immigrant  is  not  a  problem, 
but  an  opportunity.  He  will  be  a  problem  only  as 
we  fail  to  grasp  our  opportunity." — Professor  E.  A. 
Steiner. 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

The  important  migratory  movements  of  history. 

The  conditions  that  cause  immigration.  Immigra- 
tion laws. 

The  national  life  and  customs  of  the  immigrant; 
also  their  leaders  and  heroes. 

National  ideals  in  America  and  woman's  share  in 
their  preservation. 

Ellis  Island— the  gateway  of  the  nation. 

Women  immigrants:  their  occupation;  needs;  diffi- 
culties; privileges;  dangers. 

A  survey  of  the  immigrant  women  of  one's  own 
city  or  community. 

The  opportunity  of  the  church  for  work  among  im- 
migrant women.  Their  response.  The  difficulty  of 
the  task. 

Other  uplifting  agencies. 

General  Survey 

There  is  no  great  nation  of  ancient  or  modern 
times  but  can  tell  its  own  story  of  migration.  The 
twelfth  chapter  of  Exodus  tells  of  a  great  company 
of  Israelites  passing  out  of  Egypt  across  the  Red 
Sea  into  the  wilderness.  Why  did  they  go  ?  Why 
was  it  that  the  Goths  left  their  homes  for  the  plains 
of  Italy?    What  drove  those  Protestant  families 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  87 

from  their  beloved  France  into  an  England  which 
they  helped  to  make  famous  with  their  arts  and 
crafts  ?  What  turned  the  great  tide  of  Irish  toward 
the  land  of  plenty  across  the  Atlantic?  What 
caused  the  first  migration  of  the  Chinese  to 
America  ?  All  of  these  events,  and  many  like  them, 
had  their  beginnings  in  oppression,  persecution, 
famine,  war,  or  desire  for  material  betterment. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  earliest  immi- 
grants to  America  were  Christian,  at  least  in 
name.  Colonists  then  came  to  this  country  for 
the  sake  of  freedom  to  worship  God  according  to 
their  own  conscience,  while  today  most  of  them 
come  for  political  or  economic  reasons.  Hard  times 
in  Europe  lead  the  people  to  think  of  America,  and 
the  news  of  high  wages,  building  enterprises,  and 
opportunity  for  their  children  are  a  few  of  the 
factors  that  increase  immigration. 

A  knowledge  of  the  national  life  and  customs  of 
the  immigrant  is,  therefore,  quite  necessary  for 
a  just  understanding  of  the  real  character  of  these 
strangers  who  come  to  our  shores.  Men  and 
women  everywhere  have  a  desire  for  the  respect 
of  others,  whatever  their  nationality.  They  do 
not  feel  justly  treated  when  they  are  judged  by  the 
worst  characteristics  of  their  race.  We  are  better 
able  to  emphasize  the  qualities  of  Lincoln  and 
Washington  when  we  can  interpret  them  through 
the  life  and  character  of  their  Mazzini,  Garibaldi, 


88  Lives  Worth  Living 

Tzeckeny,  or  Kossuth.  We  are  proud  of  our 
national  ideals.  Do  we  forget  that  a  Pulaski 
and  a  Kosciusko  and  many  another  "Pole" 
helped  us  win  our  independence  ?  We  repeat  the 
names  of  our  famous  men  with  just  pride,  and  they 
match  them  with  those  of  Michelangelo,  Luther, 
Dante,  Savonarola,  Chopin,  and  Marconi. 

National  ideals  for  Christian  citizenship  in 
America  center  around  the  home,  the  school,  the 
church,  and  the  state.  Many  of  these  ideals  our 
Puritan  foremothers  brought  with  them  when  they 
came  as  immigrants  to  the  shores  of  America.  In 
the  words  of  the  hymn, 

Laws,  freedom,  truth,  and  faith  in  God 
Came  with  those  exiles  o'er  the  waves; 

And  where  their  pilgrim  feet  have  trod, 

The  God  they  trusted  guards  their  graves.' 

In  those  early  days  women's  ideals  were  largely 
measured  by  their  individual  and  family  responsi- 
bilities. Then  as  the  years  passed  and  as  the 
spirit  of  freedom  enlarged  their  opportunities, 
and  as  transportation  gradually  brought  the  more 
remote  parts  of  the  country  together,  women  saw 
that  they  could  help  to  build  an  intelligent  Chris- 
tian nation  and  they  accepted  this  enlarged  service 
and  added  those  of  the  state  to  the  ideals  for  which 
they  were  already  striving.  The  women  of  this 
nation  have  always  believed  that  ignorance  is  the 
cause  of  degradation  and  that  only  "in  righteous- 

'  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon. 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  89 

ness  shalt  thou  [the  nation]  be  established"  (Isa. 
54:14).  The  history  of  their  self-sacrificing  devo- 
tion through  many  years  reveals  a  noble  attempt 
to  establish  these  ideals  and  to  make  and  keep  the 
nation  Christian. 

Women  began  by  helping  in  the  reHgious  and 
educational  problems  of  their  own  community, 
which  before  long  became  as  an  ever-widening 
frontier  stretching  finally  across  the  entire  North- 
west. This  already  great  task  was  further  en- 
larged at  the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  when  the  new 
and  almost  appalling  needs  of  the  colored  race 
were  presented.  In  conjunction  with  various 
organizations,  schools  were  established,  churches 
built,  home-making  taught,  and  after  men  had 
emancipated  their  bodies,  women  joined  with  men 
in  the  emancipation  of  their  souls.  Naturally  the 
next  call  for  help  came  from  the  negroes'  nearest 
neighbors,  the  mountain  whites  of  the  Southland. 
Then,  jealous  for  the  homes  of  the  nation,  Christian 
womanhood  exposed  the  dangerous  teaching  of 
Mormonism  and  the  evils  of  intemperance.  Mean- 
while, through  all  these  years,  there  were  pouring 
into  the  country  the  thousands  to  whom,  in  some 
way,  America  represented  the  Promised  Land. 

No  limit  has  yet  been  reached  by  the  various 
ministries  of  the  American  Christian  women  on 
behalf  of  their  needy  sisters  of  unfamiliar  dress 
and  speech,  poor,  oppressed,  and  ignorant  though 
they  be.     Through  the  schools,  churches,  libraries, 


90  Lives  Worth  Living 

immigrant  homes,  leagues,  labor  unions,  settle- 
ments, and  many  other  such  agencies,  the  women  of 
America  are  endeavoring  to  ojffer  a  Christian  wel- 
come and  to  speak  to  the  immigrant  woman  in  a 
language  which  she  can  understand. 

One  has  only  to  stand  on  the  pier  at  Ellis  Island 
and  watch  the  landing  of  thousands  of  immigrants 
to  have  the  question  arise,  "What  do  these  people 
seek  in  America,  and  what  ideals  do  they  bring 
with  them?"  Unacquainted  with  our  language 
and  customs,  and  with  all  their  possessions  on  their 
backs,  these  people  will  develop  a  loyalty  to  the 
country  that  is  to  be  their  new  home  which  will 
be  largely  determined  by  the  friendly  hand  that 
welcomes  them.  If  unscrupulous  agencies  initiate 
them  into  our  American  life,  they  will  make 
undesirable  citizens.  It  is  good  to  know  that  men 
and  women  of  true  Christian  character,  supported 
by  our  churches,  stand  at  this  gateway  of  the  nation 
to  extend  to  these  strangers  the  hand  of  neighborli- 
ness,  warning  them  of  dangers,  and  pointing  out 
the  uplifting  agencies  all  about  them. 

Although  in  this  lesson  we  wish  to  give  special 
thought  to  the  woman  immigrant,  it  is  quite 
impossible  in  most  cases  to  separate  her  from  the 
others  of  her  family.  As  Mary  Antin  has  said  in 
her  autobiography.  The  Promised  Land,  "solitary 
success  is  imperfect  success  in  the  unmigrant's 
eyes.  He  must  take  his  family  with  him  as  he 
rises." 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  91 

According  to  the  report  of  the  United  States 
Immigration  Commission,  over  fifty-five  thousand 
girls  landed  at  Ellis  Island  in  191 2.  Of  these, 
the  largest  proportion  came  from  Polish,  Slovak, 
Bohemian,  and  German  villages.  Most  of  these 
came  from  the  peasant  class  and  were  ambitious 
and  industrious.  After  a  year  in  this  country, 
they  were  better  off  financially  than  when  they 
came,  yet  they  showed  but  little  improvement  in 
other  ways.  Their  difficulties  in  the  way  of  self- 
improvement  were  great.  Take  the  case  of  one 
of  them  as  an  example.  "A  girl  seventeen  years  of 
age  left  a  farm  in  Galicia  for  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Her  first  work  was  scrubbing  in  a  hotel  from  nine 
in  the  morning  until  nine  at  night  for  six  dollars  a 
week.  She  found  this  so  hard  that  she  sacrificed 
a  dollar  a  week  for  the  privilege  of  beginning  at 
seven  and  quitting  at  seven.  A  year  later,  she 
had  the  same  hours  with  every  other  Sunday  off, 
but  was  getting  a  dollar  a  week  more.  Financially 
she  is  better  off  than  when  she  began.  But  al- 
though she  has  been  in  Chicago  nearly  two  years, 
she  can  speak  no  English,  because  she  gets  home 
from  work  too  late  to  attend  night  school  and  no 
one  speaks  to  her  during  the  day.  She  is  not  so 
robust  as  she  was  when  she  came."  This  in 
general  is  the  story  of  the  four  hundred  and  thirty 
Polish  girls  visited  by  the  workers  of  the  Immi- 
grants' Protective  League  of  Chicago  during  the 
past  year.     The  League  further  reports  regarding 


92  Lives  Worth  Living 

this  group  of  girls:  "The  long  hours  of  work  leave 
no  leisure  for  recreation  of  any  sort.  In  their 
own  country  the  girls  have  been  accustomed  to 
out-of-door  dances  and  sports.  In  Chicago,  when 
Saturday  night  comes,  the  demand  for  some  sort  of 
excitement  after  a  hard  and  uneventful  week  is  too 
strong  to  be  ignored.  The  danger  is  that  because 
of  her  physical  and  nervous  exhaustion  and  her 
demand  for  acute  sense-stimulation,  the  girl  will 
become  an  easy  victim  for  the  unscrupulous.  The 
neighboring  saloonkeeper,  alert  to  the  business  side 
of  her  needs  and  demands,  is  constantly  seeking 
to  attract  her  to  the  dance  hall  which  he  conducts  in 
the  rear  of  his  saloon." 

But  dangers  surround  the  immigrant  girl  as 
soon  as  she  lands  in  America.  Every  year  large 
numbers  of  girls  are  lost  and  never  reach  their 
destination.  Unable  to  speak  our  language,  they 
are  lured  away  or  fall  a  victim  to  immoral  agents 
or  irresponsible  employment  agencies.  Unsafe 
conditions  at  railroad  stations,  dishonest  express- 
men, wrong  addresses,  incompetent  interpreters 
are  only  some  of  the  dangers  which  beset  the  un- 
suspecting immigrant. 

Most  of  the  Lithuanian  and  Polish  girls  make  a 
great  change  in  their  mode  of  life  on  coming  to 
America.  If  they  locate  in  a  large  city,  as  New 
York  or  Chicago,  they  find  only  the  hard  monoto- 
nous work  of  scrubbing,  dishwashing,  and  heavy 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  93 

factory  work.  Because  they  arc  big  and  strong, 
the  heaviest  of  the  work  is  put  upon  them,  although 
their  outdoor  life  on  the  farm  was  no  preparation 
for  a  twelve-hour  day  in  a  sub-basement  in  a  big 
city. 

The  Jewish  women  are,  for  the  most  part, 
employed  in  the  sewing  trades.  They  learn  Eng- 
lish readily,  and  soon  become  Americanized. 
From  Austria-Hungary  there  come  every  year 
Bohemians,  Slovaks,  and  women  of  half  a  dozen 
other  groups.  Most  of  these  find  employment 
as  servants,  or  work  in  laundries  or  restaurants. 
While  these  girls  have  a  safer,  better  living  than 
most  of  the  other  groups,  their  greatest  danger  is 
from  too  rapid  Americanization,  which  often  leads 
them  to  think  that  all  their  Old  World  ideals  are  to 
be  abandoned,  and  that  in  America  they  can  follow 
even  a  different  moral  code  from  the  one  their 
mothers  taught  them. 

Of  the  Italian  women  many  are  already  married 
when  they  come  to  America.  These  are  not  often 
allowed  to  do  work  outside  the  home,  so  they  help 
out  the  family  income  by  sewing  on  piecework  and 
by  taking  boarders. 

"To  preserve  and  keep  whatever  of  value  the 
past  life  of  the  immigrant  contained,  and  to  bring 
each  in  contact  with  a  better  type  of  Americans" 
is  a  guiding  principle  in  the  work  at  Hull 
House,  Chicago.     Consequently  the  people  of  that 


94  Lives  Worth  Living 

neighborhood  are  encouraged  to  keep  their  national 
hohdays,  preserve  their  national  dress,  and  use 
the  arts  and  crafts  of  earlier  times.  Their 
Labor  Museum  is  an  attempt  to  preserve  a  rever- 
ence for  the  past  which  the  children  of  the  immi- 
grant are  likely  to  lose. 

Those  organizations  which  send  workers  into  the 
homes  of  the  immigrant  fmd  not  only  large  families 
crowded  into  small,  dark,  unhealthful  rooms,  but 
also  several  boarders,  usually  single  men,  who, 
not  infrequently,  sleep  during  the  day  in  rooms 
the  family  occupy  at  night.  In  many  of  these 
homes  the  mother  is  out  at  work  all  day,  leaving 
the  children  to  care  for  themselves  between  school 
hours.  And  why  do  they  do  this?  "Those 
mothers — some  of  them  widowed — would  say, 
'I'm  working  to  give  the  children  a  chance.  I 
want  them  to  have  more  education  than  I  had ' ;  or, 
'I  dont  want  to  spoil  my  boy's  start,  even  though 
his  father  is  dead';  or  another,  'It's  different  in 
America.  The  boy  gets  left  if  he  isn't  educated.' 
There  was  always  a  willingness,  even  among  the 
poorest  women,  to  keep  on  with  the  hard  night 
scrubbing  or  the  long  days  of  working  for  the 
children's  sake."' 

To  receive  into  this  country  year  by  year 
thousands  of  people  differing  in  speech,  custom, 
and  religion,  and  to  blend  them  into  one  people, 

'  Twenty  Years  at  Hull  House,  p.  205. 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  95 

seems  an  impossible  task,  yet  in  many  ways  it  is 
being  accomplished.  The  government  regulations 
in  regard  to  the  admission  of  approximately  three 
thousand  a  day  through  the  entire  year  reveal  the 
importance  of  just  and  strict  immigration  laws. 
At  the  chief  gateway,  Ellis  Island,  New  York, 
there  are  six  hundred  and  fifty  government  officials, 
and  also  representatives  of  missionary  and  phil- 
anthropic societies.  Nothing  is  more  indicative 
of  America's  open  door  than  this  welcome,  coming 
in  their  own  language  and  proffering  every  kind  of 
human  service. 

Among  the  uplifting  agencies  that  are  grappling 
with  this  great  task,  perhaps  none  is  working  more 
effectively  than  the  public  schools.  These  help 
to  make  different  nationalities  friendly  and  to 
break  down  the  barrier  of  race  prejudice.  It  was 
found  in  191 2  that  57.8  per  cent  of  the  pupils  in  the 
public  schools  were  children  of  foreigners.  As  a 
teacher  in  a  New  York  school  expressed  it,  "  Chil- 
dren of  twenty-nine  nationalities  enter  our  school; 
they  go  out  one  nationality." 

Public  libraries  with  special  attendants  for  non- 
English  departments;  bureaus  of  immigration 
that  care  for  property  rights  and  personal  liberty; 
immigrants'  protective  leagues  as  generous  helpers 
of  the  confused  and  helpless  stranger;  national 
societies  that  care  for  those  of  their  particular 
nation;     the    labor    unions;     Young    Men's    and 


96  Lives  Worth  Living 

Young  Women's  Christian  Associations;  settle- 
ments; churches — all  are  seeking  to  do  their  part 
to  make  the  immigrant  a  self-supporting,  self- 
respecting  citizen. 

Among  these  immigrants  who  come  to  us  a  large 
number  rigidly  adhere  to  the  Roman  Catholic, 
or  Greek  Orthodox,  or  Jewish  faith.  Of  those 
who  belong  to  the  various  Protestant  denomina- 
tions many  hold  to  their  religious  traditions,  and 
need  only  neighborly  consideration  and  some 
financial  backing  to  establish  their  own  religious 
institutions.  But,  there  are  also  many  who  have 
renounced  all  religion,  and  have  lapsed  into  indiffer- 
ence and  evil,  while  others  are  groping  for  a  more 
satisfying  faith  than  they  have  as  yet  known. 
Often,  too,  when  the  parents  hold  fast  to  their 
ancestral  and  traditional  faith,  the  children  break 
loose  from  the  old  traditions,  and  are  in  special 
need  of  care  and  training.  But,  as  Professor 
E.  A.  Steiner  says,  "No  matter  from  where  the 
immigrant  has  come  appealing  for  a  chance  to  earn 
wages  or  respect,  he  is  entitled  to  it,  for  he  has 
travelled  far,  has  braved  much,  has  suffered  more. 
He  may  be  crude,  illiterate,  and  unkempt,  yet  he 
is  a  brother-man  struggling  upward,  often  blindly, 
not  knowing  the  way,  thinking  that  the  crooked  is 
straight  and  the  ill  good.  Whoever,  whatever  he 
is,  he  deserves  our  respect,  if  only  for  the  spark  of 
the  divine  flame  within  him.     We  shall  never  win 


Women  Immigrants  in  America  97 

the  stranger  to  us  unless  wc  grant  him  that  which 
is  often  more  precious  than  our  bread  or  our  wage." 

Through  its  various  missionary  agencies,  the 
Protestant  church  is  showing  itself  a  friend  to  "the 
stranger  within  our  gates."  Churches  of  every 
denomination  have  various  social  ministries  which 
preach  the  gospel  of  brotherhood,  and  which  reveal 
to  the  indifferent  and  often  prejudiced  immigrant 
that  the  church  in  America  is  the  champion  of  the 
weak. 

Through  personal  evangelism  and  social  ministry 
the  church  is  to  win  the  immigrant.  However  well 
organized  our  churches  and  organizations,  yet 
it  is  always  personal  work  done  hy  and  for  the 
individual  that  is  of  highest  value.  "There  is  no 
larger  service  to  be  rendered  to  America,  to  human- 
ity, and  to  our  Lord,  than  for  Christian  men  and 
women  to  show  by  manner  and  by  deed  that  they 
count  as  brethren  and  welcome  their  new  neighbors 
from  over  the  sea.  Having  first  done  this  in  a 
general  and  unmistakable  way,  then  to  sit  down 
beside  them,  one  by  one,  before  an  open  Bible  and 
teach  them  at  the  same  time  the  language  which 
they  so  much  need,  and,  through  the  biblical 
material,  the  ideas  and  spirit  which  have  made  the 
best  of  the  nation  what  it  is,  this  is  one  of  the  most 
God-like  services  in  which  any  follower  of  Christ 
can  engage."^ 

'  Lemuel  C.  Barnes. 


98  Lives  Worth  Living 

For  Continued  Thought 

"One  is  your  Master,  even  the  Christ,  .... 
and  all  ye  are  brethren"  (Matt.  23:10,  8). 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  What  are  the  sources  of  our  national  ideals? 
How  may  these  ideals  be  preserved  ? 

2.  What  nationalities  were  the  earliest  contributors 
to  our  American  life  ? 

3.  Of  what  value  is  it  to  study  the  problems  of  later 
immigration  ? 

4.  What  conditions  cause  immigration?  Mention 
three  of  the  best  things  that  America  offers  the  immi- 
grant. 

5.  What  gifts  and  traits  of  character  in  the  immi- 
grants of  today  are  a  valuable  asset  in  the  national 
life  and  broader  culture  of  the  American  ? 

6.  What  occupations  are  possible  for  women  immi- 
grants ?  What  changes  do  they  find  in  their  environ- 
ment? 

7.  What  agencies  are  at  work  for  the  betterment  of 
the  woman  immigrant?  What  dangers  are  to  be 
avoided?  What  is  the  most  needed  service  that  we 
can  render  the  immigrant? 

8.  What  part  may  be  taken  by  the  church  in  the 
guidance  and  training  of  the  immigrant  ?  What  may 
be  done  by  your  own  particular  church  ?  What  share 
may  you  take  ? 

9.  How  important  is  this  work  ?  What  conditions 
make  it  difficult  ?    How  significant  may  be  the  results  ? 


Women  Immigrants  in  Ami:rica  99 

*io.  Make  a  study  of  immigrant  conditions  in  your 
nearest  city  or  immediate  community. 

*ii.  Study  the  work  of  at  least  one  agency  which 
is  doing  effective  service  in  character-building  among 
immigrants,  such  as  the  McCrum  Slavonic  Training 
School  at  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania;  the  Schauffler 
Training  School  in  Cleveland,  Ohio;  also  the  many 
settlements  and  other  agencies  which  may  have  come 
to  your  personal  attention. 

*i2.  It  will  be  helpful  in  connection  with  this  lesson 

to  trace  at  least  one  of  the  great  migratory  movements 

of  history. 

Reference  Books 

Addams,  Jane,  Twenty  Years  at  Hull  House,  chap.  xi. 
*Antin,  Mary,  The  Promised  Land. 
fBaptist  Missionary  Training  School,  Chicago.     Leaflets. 
Barnes,  Mary  C.  and  Lemuel  C,  The  New  America. 
Barnes,  Mary  C,  Early  Stories  and  Songs  for  Neiv  Students  in 

English.     F.  H.  Revell  Co.     60  cents. 
Conservation  of  National  Ideals  (various  authors).     F.  H.  Revell 

Co. 
Craig,  Laura  G.,  America,  God's  Melting  Pot. 
fGovernment  Reports  of  the  Immigration  Commission,  Wash- 
ington, D.C. 
Grose,  Howard  B.,  Aliens  or  Americans,  and  The  Incoming 

Millions. 
Hemans,  Felicia  D.,  "Landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  in  New 

England." 
flmmigrants'  Protective  League,  Chicago.     Reports. 
tMcCrum  Slavonic  Training  School,  Uniontown,  Pa.     Leaflet. 
Priddly,  Al.,  Through  the  Mill. 
jSchauSier  Missionary  Training  School,  Cleveland,  Ohio.     Pam 

phlets. 
*Steiner,  Professor  E.  A.,  The  Trail  of  the  Immigrant,  and  From 
Alien  to  Citizen,  An  Autobiography. 


CHAPTER  V— LESSON  IX 
LYDIA— A  CHRISTIAN  BUSINESS  WOMAN 

"If  ye  have  judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord, 
come  into  my  house,  and  abide  there."' 

"I  thank  my  God  upon  all  my  remembrance  of  you, 
always  in  every  supplication  of  mine  on  behalf  of  you 
all  making  my  supplication  with  joy,  for  your  fellowship 
in  furtherance  of  the  gospel  from  the  first  day  until  now; 
being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  he  who  began  a 
good  work  in  you  will  perfect  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ."^ 

The  Bible  Story 

And  they  [Paul  and  his  companions]  went  through 
the  region  of  Phrygia  and  Galatia  ....  and  passing 
by  Mysia,  they  came  down  to  Troas. 
Phiii^r^*^  And  a  vision  appeared  to  Paul  in  the 
night:  There  was  a  man  of  Macedonia 
standing,  beseeching  him,  and  saying,  Come  over  into 
Macedonia,  and  help  us.  And  when  he  [Paul]  had  seen 
the  vision,  straightway  we  [Paul  and'^his  friends]  sought 
to  go  forth  into  Macedonia,  concluding  that  God  had 
called  us  to  preach  the  gospel  unto  them. 

Setting  sail  therefore  from  Troas,  we  made  a  straight 
course  to  Samothrace,  and  the  day  following  to  Neapo- 
lis;  and  from  thence  to  Philippi,  which  is  a  city  of  Mace- 

■  Acts  16:15.  '  Phil.  1:3-6. 

100 


Lydia — A  Christian  Business  Woman    ioi 

donia,  the  first  of  the  district,  a  Roman  colony:  and  we 
were  in  this  city  tarrying  certain  days  (Acts  16:6-12). 
And  on  the  sabbath  day  we  went  forth  without  the 
gate  by  a  river  side,  where  we  supposed  there  was  a 
place  of  prayer;  and  we  sat  down,  and 
Conversion         spake  unto  the  women  that  were  come 

of  Lydia  ^ 

together.  And  a  certain  woman  named 
Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  of  the  city  of  Thyatira,  one 
that  worshiped  God,  heard  us:  whose  heart  the  Lord 
opened  to  give  heed  unto  the  things  which  were  spoken 
by  Paul.  And  when  she  was  baptized,  and  her  house- 
hold, she  besought  us,  saying,  If  ye  have  judged  me  to 
be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into  my  house,  and  abide 
there.     And  she  constrained  us  (Acts  16:13-15). 

And  it  came  to  pass,  as  we  were  going  to  the  place  of 
prayer,  that  a  certain  maid  having  a  spirit  of  divination 
Paul  Heals  the  ^^^  ^^'  ^^°  brought  her  masters  much 
Slave  Girl  and  gain  by  soothsaying.  The  same  foUow- 
Is  Imprisoned       j^^g    ^^^^^    p^^j^   _    _   [j^g|    ^^^j^^g    ^^^^ 

troubled,  turned  and  said  to  the  spirit,  I  charge  thee  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  come  out  of  her.  And  it 
came  out  that  very  hour. 

But  when  her  masters  saw  that  the  hope  of  their  gain 
was  gone,  they  laid  hold  on  Paul  and  Silas,  and  dragged 
them  into  the  marketplace  before  the  rulers,  and  when 
they  had  brought  them  unto  the  magistrates,  they  said. 
These  men,  being  Jews,  do  exceedingly  trouble  our  city, 
and  set  forth  customs  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  us  to 
receive,  or  to  observe,  being  Romans.  And  the  multi- 
tude rose  up  together  against  them:  and  the  magis- 
trates rent  their  garments  off  them,  and  commanded  to 


I02  Lives  Worth  Livmc 

beat  them  witli  rods.  And  when  tliey  had  laid  many 
stripes  upon  them,  they  cast  them  into  prison  (Acts 
i6: 16-23). 

But  when  it  was  day,  the  magistrates  sent  the  ser- 
geants, saying.  Let  those  men  go But  Paul  said 

unto  them.  They  have  beaten  us  pub- 
thTcit^*^*^  licly,  uncondemned,  men  that  are  Ro- 
mans, and  have  cast  us  into  prison;  .... 
let  them  come  themselves  and  bring  us  out  ....  and 
when  they  [the  magistrates]  had  brought  them  out,  they 
asked  them  to  go  away  from  the  city.  And  they  went 
out  of  the  prison,  and  entered  into  the  house  of  Lydia: 
and  when  they  had  seen  the  brethren,  they  comforted 
them,  and  departed  (Acts  16:35-40). 

An  Interpretation  of  the  Story 

The  apostle  Paul  was  easily  the  foremost  among 
the  early  missionaries  of  the  Christian  church. 
Not  content  to  preach  to  a  single  con- 
Phiiippt'  ^  °^  gregation,  he  visited  new  lands  and 
foreign  cities,  enduring  many  hard- 
ships and  meeting  great  dangers.  Obedient  to  his 
heavenly  vision  (Acts  9:3-9),  he  lived  and 
preached  and  worked  to  enkindle  in  others  his 
great  passion  for  his  master,  Jesus  the  Christ. 

Thus  it  was  that  he  traveled  much  and  in  each 
city  that  he  visited  gathered  together  those  who 
would  listen  to  him,  instructing  them  and  estab- 
lishing in  them  a  faith  which,  like  his  own,  was 
strong  enough  to  endure  ridicule  and  persecution. 


Lydia— A  Christian  Business  Woman    103 

It  was  on  one  of  these  missionary  journeys  that 
Paul,  accompanied  by  his  friends  Silas  and  Timo- 
thy, passed  through  the  region  of  Phrygia  and 
Galatia  in  Western  Asia  Minor  and  finally  reached 
Troas  located  on  the  shore  of  the  Aegean  Sea. 
Here  he  was  joined  by  Luke,  a  physician,  who  was 
ever  afterward  one  of  Paul's  closest  friends  and 
also  his  historian. 

In  response  to  a  dream  or  a  vision,  in  which  a 
man  of  Macedonia  seemed  to  be  beckoning  for  help, 
Paul  and  his  companions  decided  to  go  across  the 
Aegean  Sea  into  Europe,  and  so  set  sail  for  Philippi, 
a  Roman  city  in  Macedonia,  nearly  ten  miles  from 
the  coast. 

Landing  at  Neapolis,  the  seaport  of  Philippi, 
Paul  and  his  friends  followed  the  great  Roman  road 
which  led  to  the  city  itself. 

Philippi  of  Macedonia  had  received  its  name 
from  Philip,  father  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and 
with  its  gold  mines  and  special  privileges  as  a 
Roman  colony  was  an  important  center.  The  city 
was  also  famous  as  the  place  at  which  Augustus 
and  Mark  Antony  overthrew  Brutus  and  Cassius 
in  one  of  the  important  battles  of  the  world. 

The  two  days'  journey  across  the  Aegean  Sea  and 
the  walk  from  Neapolis  to  Philippi  made  the  rest  of 
a  few  days  very  welcome  to  Paul  and  his  friends,  so 
they  found  lodgings  in  the  city  and  sought  for  a 
synagogue  in  which  they  might  speak. 


I04  Lives  Worth  Living 

As  Philippi  was  a  military  rather  than  a  trading 

city,  but  few  Jews  lived  there.     Indeed,  although 

only  ten  learned,  influential  Jews  were 

to  the  Women    needed    to    establish    a    synagogue, 

at  the  River  there  was  none  there.  But  the  few 
Side 

Philippian  Jews  were  not  unfaithful 

to  their  religion  or  neglectful  of  its  observance. 
When  Paul  and  his  companions  on  the  Sabbath 
went  out  beyond  the  city  gate  to  a  place  by  the 
river  side,  where  they  supposed  there  was  a  place 
of  prayer,  they  found  a  group  of  worshipers  honor- 
ing the  God  of  their  fathers  and  keeping  alive  the 
memory  of  the  ways  in  which  he  had  led  them.  We 
are  not  told  whether  they  met  in  a  small  room 
or  in  an  open  space  where  something  like  a  way- 
side shrine  may  have  marked  the  place.  We 
only  know  that  it  was  a  company  of  women  who 
gathered  that  Sabbath  morning  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  to  whom  Paul  preached  the  redeeming 
love  of  Christ. 

Although  it  was  a  small  congregation,  it  must 
have  been  a  powerful  sermon,  in  which  Paul  tried 
to  prove  that  Christianity  was  for  the  stranger 
and  the  foreigner  as  well  as  for  the  Jew;  and  that 
righteousness  by  the  Law  must  give  way  before 
righteousness  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Though  Paul  would  quote  largely  from  the  He- 
brew Scriptures  to  show  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
Israel's  long  expected  Messiah,  yet  as  he  looked 


Lydia— A  Christian  Business  Woman    105 

into  the  faces  of  those  Jewish  women,  he  may  well 
have  been  reminded  of  certain  events  in  the  life  of 
Jesus  which  revealed  his  compassion  for  women  and 
little  children. 

The  occasion  promised  nothing  unusual  or  note- 
worthy. No  synagogue,  no  crowd,  no  great  enthu- 
siasm to  greet  the  noble  preacher  Paul.  Only  a 
simple  prayer-meeting  in  a  quiet,  restful  place  out- 
side the  city  gates.  This  might  have  presented  a 
discouraging  contrast  to  several  of  Paul's  brilliant 
successes  in  Galatia,  but  it  proved  a  great  enough 
occasion  for  God  to  use  in  carrying  the  gospel  to  a 
new  continent. 

Among  the  women  present  who  listened  so  in- 
tently was  Lydia,  a  native  of  Thyatira  in  Asia, 
L  dia  Becomes  ^^*^'  ^^^ough  not  of  Jcwish  birth,  wor- 
a  Christian  shiped  God.  It  would  scem  that  she 
was  a  widow,  and  must  have  been  a 
person  of  some  prominence,  for  she  had  a  house 
large  enough  in  which  to  entertain  Paul  and  his 
companions,  and  a  business  as  a  seller  of  purple 
dyes  or  dyed  cloths  for  which  Thyatira  was  famous. 
Paul's  message  found  a  response  in  her  heart, 
"whose  heart  the  Lord  opened  to  give  heed  unto 
the  things  which  were  spoken,"  and,  later,  she  and 
all  her  household  were  baptized,  Lydia  thus  becom- 
ing Europe's  first  Christian  convert. 

We  are  assisted  by  only  a  few  bold  strokes 
in  our  picture  of  Lydia;  our  own  imagination  and 


io6  Lives  Worth  Living 

experience  must  fill  in  the  details.  History  has 
preserved  but  one  sentence  that  she  uttered,  yet 
that  reveals  much  of  her  character. 
Lydia *^  ^"^  °  "If  ye  havc  judged  me  to  be  faith- 
ful to  the  Lord,  come  into  my  house, 
and  abide  there." 

She  spoke  as  a  woman  who  was  not  only  inde- 
pendent of  others,  but  as  one  who  exercised  over 
them  considerable  control,  for  all  her  household 
followed  her  in  this  acceptance  of  the  new  faith. 
We  gain  the  impression  that  she  was  not  only  a 
business  woman,  but  an  efficient  business  woman, 
"whose  word  was  as  good  as  her  bond,"  whose  dye- 
stuffs  would  meet  every  requirement  of  her  cus- 
tomers, and  whose  employees  were  sure  of  just 
treatment  and  personal  consideration.  Her  new 
religion  seemed  to  carry  with  it  the  consecration  of 
all  she  possessed,  as  she  opened  her  home  so  hos- 
pitably to  these  Jewish  strangers. 

The  suspicion  with  which  these  foreign  preachers 
were  likely  to  be  regarded  and  the  prejudice  which 
.,.,,„  the  more  or  less  exaggerated  accounts 

Lydia's  New  ^  °o 

Religion  and  of  their  doctrines  would  arouse  may 
very  likely  have  interfered  with  the 
business  of  their  converts,  and  so  have  caused 
Lydia  considerable  financial  loss.  That  these 
Christians  often  spoke  of  Jesus  as  the  King  over  all 
may  easily  have  led  to  the  belief  on  the  part  of 
these  Roman  colonists  as  they  heard  of  Paul's 
teachings  Sabbath  by  Sabbath  outside  the  city  gate 


Lydia — A  Christian  Business  Woman     107 

that  he  had  some  design  against  the  Roman  govern- 
ment and  was  organizing  a  political  revolt. 

That  Paul  and  his  companions  had  left  their 
hired  lodging  and  come  to  Lydia's  home  for  the 
remainder  of  their  stay  in  Philippi  fully  identified 
Lydia  with  their  teachings,  and  it  is  quite  probable 
that  the  distrust  which  was  felt  for  Paul  touched 
Lydia  also,  causing,  possibly,  the  severing  of  some 
friendships  as  well  as  a  falling  off  in  the  sale  of  her 
purple  dyes.  Later  events  proved  that  Lydia's 
faith  was  not  dependent  upon  personal  gains  and 
that  her  courage  in  the  face  of  grave  dangers  never 
wavered.  Suspicions  and  dislikes  did  not  prevent 
Paul  and  Silas  from  speaking  boldly  to  the  people 
or  meeting  with  Lydia  and  the  other  women  at  their 
accustomed  place  of  prayer,  for  it  was  these  very 
gatherings  by  the  river  side  that  were  the  begin- 
nings of  a  church  in  Philippi,  to  whom  Paul,  some 
years  later,  sent  the  most  personal  and  aflfectionate 
of  all  his  letters. 

It  is  probable  that  Lydia  was  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  church  at  Philippi,  and  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  her  conversion  had  something  to  do  with 
the  rise  of  the  church  in  her  native  city  of  Thyatira, 
of  which  we  read  in  Rev.  2:18. 

One  day  as  Paul  and  Silas  were  going  to  the  river 
side  for  their  service,  they  were  met  by  a  slave  girl 
who  by  some  sort  of  fortune-telling  earned  much 
money  for  her  masters.  Her  cries  greatly  annoyed 
Paul  and  his  companions,  and  they  finally  healed 


io8  Lives  Worth  Living 

the  girl,  thus  ruining  her  masters'  business.  En- 
raged at  this,  these  men  instigated  a  popular 
Paul's  Kindness  Uprising  against  the  apostles,  so  great 
to  the  Slave        that  even  the  magistrates  hastened  to 

Girl  and  Its  . 

Effect  upon  ally  themselves  with  it,  and  had  Paul 
the  People  ^^^  gji^^g  pubHcly  scourged  and  im- 
prisoned. After  a  remarkable  deliverance,  Lydia 
hastened  to  welcome  them  again  to  her  home,  in 
spite  of  the  intense  prejudice  against  them  in 
the  city.  Indeed,  so  strong  was  this  prejudice 
that  the  magistrates  asked  the  apostles  to  leave 
Philippi,  which  they  promised  to  do  after  they 
had  seen  their  friends  and  assured  them  of  their 
safety. 

Business  interests,  friends,  position  were  all  en- 
dangered by  Lydia  as  she  took  her  place  bravely 

beside  the  apostles  and  made  her 
Lydia  **^  "^°°    home  theirs  as  long  as  they  were  in 

the  city.  Ridicule,  ostracism,  busi- 
ness failure  might  all  have  to  be  endured  for  her 
religious  faith.  But  her  final  reward  was  the  same 
as  that  of  Mary  of  Bethany,  for  "wheresoever  this 
gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world,  that 
also  which  this  woman  hath  done  shall  be  spoken 
of  for  a  memorial  of  her."  And  we  of  the  present 
day  continue  to  do  her  honor. 

Central  Idea  of  the  Story 

A  business  woman  of  ancient  Philippi  was  able 
to  be  true  to  her  faith  amid  difficulties. 


Lydia — A  Christian  Business  Woman    109 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  What  brought  Paul  to  Philippi  ?  Locate  the  city 
and  describe  it. 

2.  What  friends  did  Paul  have  with  him?  What 
welcome  did  they  receive  on  their  arrival  ? 

3.  Who  was  Lydia?  What  was  her  occupation  ?  In 
what  ways  did  she  reveal  her  strong  interest  in  religion 
before  Paul's  arrival  ? 

4.  Describe  Paul's  first  acquaintance  with  Lydia. 
Why  is  that  obscure  prayer-meeting  at  the  river  side 
considered  a  great  event  in  church  history  ? 

*5.  In  the  light  of  the  future  history  of  the  church, 
how  significant  was  the  conversion  of  Lydia  ?  Mention 
other  examples  of  large  results  from  small  beginnings. 

6.  Of  whom  do  you  imagine  Lydia's  household  may 
have  consisted? 

7.  What  would  lead  you  to  think  that  Lydia  was  a 
prominent  resident  of  Philippi?  What  makes  you 
think  that  she  was  an  efficient  business  woman  ? 

8.  What  hospitality  was  Lydia  able  to  show  her  new 
friends  ? 

9.  Contrast  with  the  business  of  Lydia  the  business 
of  the  owners  of  the  slave  girl,  who  placed  money  values 
above  human  values. 

ID.  Recall  the  accusation  made  by  the  masters  of  the 
slave  girl  against  Paul,  and  mention  similar  cases  of 
race  prejudice. 

11.  Co.itrast  the  effect  of  Christianity  upon  Paul's 
accusers  and  his  hostess. 

12.  Would  Lydia  find  difl&culty  in  maintaining  her 
Christian  position  ?  Would  her  new  faith  interfere  in 
any  way  with  her  business  ? 


no  Lives  Worth  Living 

13.  Did  it  require  more  courage  for  Lydia  to  accept 
Christianity  in  the  first  place  or  to  maintain  it  after  the 
apostles  left  the  city  ? 

*i4.  What  church  was  formed  as  a  result  of  Paul's 
preaching  in  this  city?  What  affectionate  letter  did 
he  write  to  them?     Read  it  in  full. 

15.  Compare  Lydia,  the  Christian  business  woman 
of  Philippi,  and  the  Christian  business  woman  of  today  ? 

16.  Mention  the  names  of  successful  business  women 
of  whom  you  have  known  or  heard.  What  was  the 
effect  of  their  religion  upon  their  business  ? 

Reference  Books 

Bird,  Robert,  Pajil  of  Tarsus,  pp.  247-64. 
Conybeare  and  Hawson,  Life  and  Epistles'  of  the  Apostle  Paul. 
Hastings,  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  articles  "Philippi"  and  "Lydia." 
Ramsay,  W.  M.,  St.  Paul  the  Traveller  and  Roman  Citizen. 


CHAPTER  V— LESSON  X 
Woman's  Place  in  Industry 

"All  that  gives  value  to  manufactured  articles  is  their 
relation  to  human  life.  When  human  life  is  sacrificed  to 
the  production  of  things,  it  is  obvious  perversion."' 

A  Prayer  for  Women  Who  ToiP 

"  0  God,  we  pray  Thee  for  our  sisters  who  are  leaving 
the  ancient  shelter  of  the  home  to  earn  their  wage  in  the 
factory  and  the  store  amid  the  press  of  modern  life. 
Save  them  from  the  strain  of  unremitting  toil  that 
would  unfit  them  for  the  holy  duties  of  home  and 
motherhood;  which  the  future  may  lay  upon  them. 
Give  them  grace  to  cherish  under  the  new  surroundings 
the  old  sweetness  and  gentleness  of  womanhood  and  in 
the  rough  mingling  of  life  to  keep  their  hearts  pure  and 
their  lives  untarnished.  Save  them  from  the  terrors  of 
utter  want.  Teach  them  to  stand  loyally  by  their  sis- 
ters, that  by  united  action  they  may  better  their  com- 
mon lot. 

"If  it  must  be  so  that  our  women  toil  like  men,  help 
us  still  to  reverence  in  them  the  mothers  of  the  future. 
But  make  us  determined  to  shield  them  from  unequal 
burdens,  that  the  women  of  our  nation  be  not  drained 
of  strength  and  hope,  for  the  enrichment  of  a  few,  lest 

•  J.  H.  Ecob,  Work  Versus  the  Worker. 
'  Walter  C.  Rauschenbusch. 


112 


Lives  Worth  Living 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  113 

our  homes  grow  poor  in  the  wifely  sweetness  and 
motherly  love  which  have  been  the  saving  strength  and 
glory  of  our  country.  To  such  as  yearn  for  the  love 
and  sovereign  freedom  of  their  own  home,  grant  in  due 
time  the  fulfilment  of  their  sweet  desires.  By  Mary, 
the  beloved,  who  bore  the  world's  redemption  in  her 
bosom;  by  the  memory  of  our  own  dear  mothers  who 
kissed  our  souls  awake;  by  the  little  daughters  who 
must  soon  go  out  into  the  world  which  we  are  now 
fashioning  for  others,  we  beseech  Thee  that  we  may  deal 
aright  by  all  women." 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

A  worthy  conception  of  human  labor. 
The  needs  of  the  women  who  toil. 
Conditions  which  surround  women  in  industry. 
The  wage  problem. 

Women's  organizations  for  industrial  betterment. 
Legislation  for  women  in  industry. 
Welfare  work  and  other  agencies  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  condition  of  working  women. 

General   Survey 

The  large  number  of  women  seeking  employment 
in  the  industrial  world  today  creates  conditions  that 
every  thoughtful  person  should  consider.  The 
story  of  Lydia  suggested  how  a  woman  in  business, 
herself  an  employer  of  others,  lived  righteously  and 
religiously.  We  have  the  same  problem.  Not 
only  do  some  women  engage  in  manufacturing  or 


114  Lives  Worth  Living 

mercantile  business  as  employers,  but  thousands  of 
householders  employ  other  women  in  their  homes. 
But  the  aspect  of  the  subject  ''Women  in  Business" 
which  is  most  pressing  today  is,  not  how  to  induce 
women  employers  to  act  righteously,  but  how  we 
shall  bring  it  about  that  women  who  are  employed, 
often  by  corporations,  shall  be  sure  of  righteous 
and  considerate  treatment. 

Work  under  healthful  conditions  is  one  of  our 
greatest  blessings.  But  when  the  workman  is 
simply  an  attachment  to  a  machine,  with  no 
joy  of  creation,  no  chance  for  the  development 
of  new  plans  in  response  to  increased  skill,  then 
work  becomes  drudgery  and  joy  and  ambition 
disappear. 

The  many  forms  of  industry  transplanted  from 
the  home  to  the  factory;  the  large  number  of  im- 
migrant women  and  girls  who  come  to  this  country 
each  year;  the  introduction  of  machinery,  and  the 
increasing  population  in  our  cities  are  a  few  of  the 
many  reasons  for  the  presence  of  seven  million 
working  women  in  the  United  States. 

With  the  invention  of  power  machinery,  indus- 
trial work  in  the  home  became  economically  im- 
possible, and  so  was  transferred  to  the  factory, 
where  more  and  cheaper  goods  could  be  produced 
by  fewer  people.  And  so  the  women  who  had  in- 
creased the  family  income  by  home  production 
could  no  longer  do  it  in  the  same  way,  and  were 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  115 

obliged  either  to  give  up  their  work  entirely  or  go 
into  the  factories  where  the  work  was  being  done. 
Here,  driven  by  the  force  of  competition  and  the 
consumer's  demand  for  cheap  goods,  the  employee 
was  obliged  to  submit  to  low  wages  and  long  hours, 
often  under  unsanitary  conditions. 

"What  we  need  today  is  to  get  a  clear  view  of  the 
beginning  of  this  modern  labor  movement.  How 
did  it  come  about  that  seven  million  women  in  the 
United  States  are  self-supporting  and  over  three 
million  working  for  wages  in  factories,  shops,  and 
stores — two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  wage- 
earning  girls  being  found  in  the  state  of  Illinois 
alone?  The  era  of  the  machine  was  ushered  in 
about  the  beginning  of  our  American  republic, 
when  Watt's  steam  engine  was  applied  to  the  power 
loom  and  the  manufacture  of  textiles  became  a 
social  industry  owned  by  a  few  individuals.  It 
was  in  1785  that  the  spinning  wheel  and  the  weav- 
ing loom,  which  for  centuries  had  been  a  part  of  the 
household  furniture,  were  transferred  from  the 
cottages  to  the  mill.  The  individual  shuttle  had 
been  taken  out  of  the  hand  of  the  mother  and 
grandmother.  It  was  multiplied  a  hundred  fold  and 
run  by  a  new  power  in  a  public  place.  This  was 
the  first  turn  in  the  wheel  that  took  much  of 
women's  work  out  of  the  quiet  privacy  of  the  home 
and  placed  it  in  the  factory.  In  less  than  a  century 
and  a  half  the  clothes  of  the  family,  the  household 


ii6  Lives  Worth  Living 

furniture,  the  very  house  itself,  became  machine 
made.  The  canning,  sewing,  washing  and  ironing, 
and  now  even  the  house  cleaning  are  done  by  steam 
or  electric  power.  We  have  seen  how  women  and 
children  followed  the  family  industries  into  the 
larger  world  outside  the  home,  and  how  every  year 
since,  this  has  increased  until  we  have  millions  of 
this  kind  of  cheap,  unskilled,  unorganized  workers 
doing  an  uneducational  work."' 

Work  is  the  expenditure  of  both  the  mental  and 
physical  force  of  the  worker;  hence  all  work  upon 
valueless  objects,  all  unnecessary  and  meaningless 
labor,  should  be  avoided,  while  competition  with 
others  should  mean  superior  excellence  in  system, 
method,  and  humane  conditions,  and  not  simply 
the  destruction  of  the  competitors. 

According  to  the  industrial  conditions  of  today, 
the  heaviest  burden  falls  upon  the  woman  wage- 
earner,  for  she  is  the  one  who  works  the  longest 
hours  for  the  lowest  wages  and  assumes  the  great- 
est risks. 

Miss  F.  G.  Ecob,  secretary  of  the  Joint  Labor 
Legislation  Conference  of  New  York,  reports  on 
factory  conditions  in  that  city  as  follows:  "There 
is  a  system  of  speeding  in  many  of  our  factories  by 
which  the  girls  are  driven  mercilessly  both  by  the 
forelady  and  by  the  terrific  velocity  of  the  machines. 
Some  of  the  machines  are  geared  up  to  2,500  or 

'  Mrs.  Raymond  Robins,  Life  and  Labor. 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  .117 

3,000  stitches  a  minute,  and  where  incessant  con- 
centration on  the  needle  is  absolutely  necessary. 
Often  the  strain  is  intensified  by  the  fact  that  the 
machines  are  so  close  together  that  the  girls  can 
hardly  stir  without  danger.  In  some  industries  the 
danger  is  increased  by  the  use  of  machines  which 
are  operated  largely  by  the  weight  of  the  worker. 
In  certain  processes  of  the  paper-box  and  laundry 
trades,  the  worker  throws  her  whole  weight  forward 
onto  a  treadle  as  often  as  eighty  times  a  minute. 
Women  who  stand  during  a  ten-hour  day  for  any 
considerable  time  develop  broken  arches,  varicose 
veins,  and  often  more  serious  disorders.  In  certain 
trades,  such  as  artificial  flower  and  feather  making, 
the  fumes  from  the  dyes  are  allowed  to  escape  into 
the  room  where  the  girls  are  working  and  the  fine 
fluff  of  the  feathers  fills  the  room  like  a  haze.  In 
the  human-hair-goods  trade,  the  hair  is  imported 
packed  in  a  disinfecting  powder  and  this  is  shaken 
out  in  the  room  where  the  girls  work,  so  that  they 
inhale  it  constantly."  Surely  this  is  not  a  picture 
of  the  "joy  of  creation,"  or  the  working  out  of 
ideals,  or  the  expression  of  one's  own  personality, 
but  simply  the  "last  attachment"  to  a  machine! 

In  all  our  large  cities,  the  army  of  young  women 
and  girls  who  are  employed  in  the  large  department 
stores  meet  many  dangers  and  difficulties.  Long 
hours  and  small  pay  make  proper  living  conditions 
almost  impossible,  except  for  the  girl  who  lives  at 


ii8  Lives  Worth  Living 

home.  Read  the  pamphlet  issued  by  the  Juvenile 
Protective  Association  of  Chicago  entitled  The 
Department  Store  Girl,  which  is  based  upon  inter- 
views with  two  hundred  girls,  and  you  will  realize 
what  it  means  to  be  a  cash  girl  or  a  clerk  who 
simply  exists  but  cannot. truly  live.  This  pamphlet 
will  help  us  appreciate  what  the  department  store 
girl  has  been  through  to  give  us  a  *' Merry  Christ- 
mas," and  will  convince  us  of  the  wisdom  of  shop- 
ping early. 

"In  one  of  the  big  State  Street  department  stores 
of  Chicago  the  horses  work  every  other  day. 
Women  work  every  day.  The  horses  must  be 
given  time  to  rest;  they  must  be  kept  in  a  good 
physical  condition.  Women  are  not  given  time  for 
rest;  they  need  not  be  kept  in  good  physical  con- 
dition.    Why  ? 

"The  new  Shop  Hours  act  is  now  a  law  in  Eng- 
land, and  merchants  have  to  carry  out  its  provisions 
or  render  themselves  liable  to  severe  penalties.  It 
gives  every  saleswoman,  including  those  who  work 
in  refreshment  houses  and  'public  houses,'  a  half- 
holiday  every  week  beginning  not  later  than  one 
o'clock.  It  also  insists  upon  regular  hours  for 
meals." 

Saleswomen  in  our  American  cities  object  to 
Sunday  and  evening  work  (as  in  stock-taking, 
arranging  stock,  mail-order  departments,  etc.),  no 
half-holiday,  excessive  fines,  compulsory  vacations 
without  pay,  compulsory  benefit  funds,  different 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  119 

wages  for  the  same  work,  dismissal  without  warn- 
ing. They  want  a  fifty-four-hour  week,  with 
double  pay  for  Sundays  and  evenings,  a  half- 
holiday  each  week  the  year  around,  a  vacation 
of  a  week  on  full  pay,  voluntary  insurance, 
equal  pay  for  equal  work,  committee  representa- 
tion to  present  grievances  to  the  firm,  and  a  living 
wage. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  the  great  steel  works  of 
Frederick  Krupp  &  Company,  of  Essen,  Germany, 
endeavored  to  improve  the  environment  of  their 
employees  and  conceived  the  idea  of  colony  hous- 
ing. They  built  hundreds  of  houses  to  accommo- 
date one,  two,  or  six  families  of  varying  size.  A 
housekeeping  school  was  opened  and  much  impor- 
tance was  attached  to  the  industrial  training  of  the 
girls.  A  library,  hospital,  gymnasium,  eating- 
houses,  and  supply  stores  were  also  provided. 

The  Bon  Marche,  that  famous  store  in  Paris, 
owned  and  managed  for  many  years  by  Madame 
Boucicault,  furnishes  an  example  of  the  efficient 
business  woman  who  was  not  only  successful  her- 
self, but  made  her  business  a  means  of  enrichment 
and  well-being  to  her  thousands  of  employees. 
The  free  noon  lunch,  served  in  the  big  dining-room, 
with  its  appetizing  menu;  the  rest-rooms;  free 
language  classes,  and  free  medical  attendance,  are 
but  a  few  of  the  ways  in  which  this  noble  woman 
created  and  sustained  an  ideal  relation  between 
capital  and  labor. 


I20  Lives  Worth  Living 

For  the  last  thirty  years,  here  and  there,  both  in 
Europe  and  America,  are  found  manufacturers  who 
have  introduced  into  their  factories  improvements 
conducive  to  the  health,  efficiency,  and  happiness 
of  their  employees.  Among  these  are  the  Lever 
Brothers,  of  Port  Sunlight,  England;  the  Cadbury 
Brothers,  of  Boumeville,  England,  while  in  this 
country  the  National  Cash  Register  Company,  of 
Dayton,  Ohio,  and  the  International  Harvester 
Company,  of  Chicago,  have  been  pioneers  in  what 
has  now  come  to  be  known  as  welfare  work  and 
which  large  corporations  everywhere  find  worth 
their  while  to  establish  and  maintain.  Thus  the 
business  man  is  beginning  to  realize  that  such  work 
embodies  the  application  of  the  same  business 
principles  to  his  employees  that  he  applies  to  the 
rest  of  his  business,  and  that  he  owes  something 
more  than  mere  wages  to  those  in  his  employ. 

Woman's  entrance  into  the  industrial  world  has 
given  rise  to  many  problems  difficult  to  solve,  of 
which  none  is  more  perplexing  or  fundamental  than 
the  question  of  wages.  It  is  probably  true  that  the 
competition  of  the  women  workers  has  lowered  the 
wages  of  men,  particularly  the  unskilled  workman. 
Many  women  who  are  in  industry  do  not  expect  to 
continue  long  as  wage-earners.  Anticipating  a 
home  of  their  own  later,  they  show  less  interest  in 
mastering  their  trade,  while  they  let  their  own 
private  interests  often  interfere  with  those  of  their 
employers.     There  are:also  wholly  self-supporting 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  121 

women  who  are  competing  with  those  who  are  par- 
tially supported  by  others.  This  is  often  found  to 
be  true  in  the  case  of  clerks  and  stenographers. 
All  of  these  conditions  make  the  adjustment  of 
wages  a  difficult  matter,  and  are  a  few  of  the  rea- 
sons for  the  low  wages,  especially  of  women. 

A  study  of  the  woman  in  industry  by  the 
Women's  Trade  Union  League  of  Chicago  led  the 
organization  to  issue  the  following  statement: 
"There  are  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
working  women  in  Chicago.  The  average  wage  of 
these  women  is  under  six  dollars  a  week.  Six 
dollars  a  week  means  poor  food,  poor  clothing,  poor 
shelter.  Six  dollars  a  week  allows  no  margin  for 
illness,  recreation,  or  education." 

No  one  can  have  a  strong,  healthy  body  without 
proper  food,  clothing,  and  shelter.  If  wages  are  so 
low  that  these  physical  needs  cannot  be  met,  what 
becomes  of  those  higher  instincts  and  affections  of 
the  mind  and  soul?  Jesus  said,  "Man  shall  not 
live  by  bread  alone"  (Matt.  4:4),  and  "Is  not  the 
life  more  than  the  food,  and  the  body  than  the 
raiment?"  (Matt.  6:25).  How  can  the  woman 
wage-earner  have  the  time  and  opportunity  to  fol- 
low these  teachings  of  the  Master  when  in  some 
industries  women  are  kept  at  work  for  sixty, 
seventy,  and  even  eighty  hours  a  week  ? 

Naturally  the  trades  unions  look  to  organization 
as  the  remedy  for   all    these   difficulties.     In  an 


122  Lives  Worth  Living 

article  on  ''Self-Government  in  the  Workshop,"' 
Mrs.  Raymond  Robins  writes:  "Having  for  cen- 
turies, and  rightly  so,  looked  upon  her  problem  as 
a  personal  one  to  be  met  and  solved  through  her 
individual  effort,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  woman 
is  slow  to  learn  that  her  economic  problem  today 
is  a  social  one  to  be  controlled  by  social  and  col- 
lective action.  Unorganized,  she  became  the  tragic 
underbidder  in  the  labor  market  and  her  own  worst 
competitor,  putting  the  working  mothers  in  the 
sweatshop  and  the  working  fathers  on  the  tramp. 
Unorganized,  she  has  to  accept  conditions  as  she 
finds  them — low  wages,  long  hours,  abusive  lan- 
guage, unsanitary  conditions,  locked  doors,  fire 
dangers,  work  destructive  of  her  moral  and  spiritual 
development.  Alone,  she  cannot  change  these  con- 
ditions. Alone,  she  cannot  even  protest  against 
these  conditions,  except  at  the  ri^k  of  losing  her  job. 
She  has  tried — she  now  knows.  She  loses  her 
job  when  she  asserts  her  fundamental  right  to 
have  a  voice  as  to  the  conditions  under  which  she 
works.  Yet  these  conditions,  if  allowed  to  con- 
tinue, will  destroy  the  ideals  and  promise  of  our 
individual  and  national  life.  Self-government  is 
essential  to  the  making  of  a  free  people,  and  self- 
government  in  the  day's  work  can  be  had  only  by 
the  united  action  of  the  workers. 

"The  opposition  to  industrial  democracy  is 
naturally  great.     It  is,  moreover,  so  determined 

'  Life  and  Labor. 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  123 

and  so  powerful  that  to  organize  or  to  join  a  trade 
union  means  to  face  persecution.  If  it  becomes 
known  that  girls  wish  to  organize,  they  are  threat- 
ened by  their  employers  with  the  loss  of  their  jobs. 
Sometimes  they  are  asked  to  sign  pledges  not  to 
join  a  union  before  they  are  given  work.  Petty  but 
endless  is  the  persecution  practiced  by  foremen, 
under  instructions,  to  union  girls  in  a  non-union 
shop.  Yet  splendidly  the  girls  have  answered  to 
this  call  for  courage  and  grit,  and  well  may  Walter 
Rauschenbusch  say,  'Employers  may  yet  rue  the 
day  when  they  filled  their  factories  with  women 
because  they  were  cheap.  They  can  stand  to- 
gether for  the  common  good,  for  they  are  capable 
of  great  enthusiasm  and  self-sacrifice,'" 

Organization  changed  the  condition  of  waitresses 
in  Chicago,  according  to  the  statement  of  the 
Women's  Trade  Union  League  of  that  city. 

Before  Organization  After  Organization 

Worked  7  days  a  week  W^ork  6  days  a  week 

12  to  14  hours  a  day  lo  hours  a  day 

For  f  6 .  00  a  week  For  $8 .  00  a  week 


Worked  4  hours  a  day  at      Work  3  hours  a  day  at  din- 
dinner  hour  for  $3 .  00  a         ner  hour  for  $4 .  00  a  week 

week 


Furnished  own  apron  and      Employer    furnishes    apron 
paid  for  laundering  of  all  and  launders  all  working 

working  linen  linen 


124 


Lives  Worth  Living 


Also  the  hat  trimmers  in  Massachusetts,  Con- 
necticut, New  York,  and  Pennsylvania  through 
their  organization  remedied  many  wrongs. 


Before  Organization 

Low  wages 

No  limit  to  working  hours 

Home  work 

Discharge  in  dull  season 

No  protection  from  insult 
No  pay  for  extra  work 
Worker  had  to  provide  silk 
Worker  provided  cotton  and 

needles 
Favorites  received  easy  work 

No  heed  given  to  workers' 

grievances 
Locked  Doors  and  Barred 

Windows  and  Had  No 

Fire  Protection 


After  Organization 

50  per  cent  increase  in  wages 

Work  52  hours  a  week 

No  home  work 

No  discharge;  fair  distribu- 
tion of  work 

Worker  respected 

Extra  pay  for  extra  work 

Employer  provides  silk 

Employer  provides  cotton 
and  needles 

No  favorites ;  fair  division  of 
easy  and  hard  work 

Conferences  held  and  griev- 
ances adjusted 

Unlocked  Doors  and  Fire 
Protection 


In  all  probability  the  greatest  need  for  the 
women  in  the  industrial  world  today  is  proper 
legislation.  We  have  seen  how  many  advantages 
may  be  provided  by  considerate  and  humane 
employers,  and  also  how  women  through  their 
organization  may  secure  certain  privileges.  But 
the  two  great  fundamental  questions  as  to  hours 
and  wages  can  be  changed  only  by  nation-wide 
legislation.  After  a  long  struggle  an  eight-hour 
day  for  the  working  women  of  California  and  the 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  125 

state  of  Washington  has  been  declared  constitu- 
tional. In  both  states  the  law  provides  "that  no 
female  shall  be  employed  in  any  manufacturing, 
mechanical,  or  mercantile  establishment,  laundry, 
hotel,  restaurant,  telegraph  or  telephone  establish- 
ment or  office,  by  any  express  or  transportation 
company  for  more  than  eight  hours  in  any  one  day 
or  more  than  forty-eight  hours  in  one  week. "' 

In  Illinois  a  ten-hour  law  was  secured  for  the 
women  workers  in  practically  all  trades  and  occu- 
pations in  the  state. 

But  putting  laws  upon  the  statute  books  in  itself 
is  not  sufficient.  They  must  be  enforced.  And  the 
enforcement  of  such  laws  depends  largely  upon  a 
knowledge  of  the  conditions  of  the  working  woman ; 
a  knowledge  sure  to  result  in  improved  conditions. 
Abraham  Lincoln  once  said,  "The  strongest  bond 
of  human  sympathy  outside  of  the  family  relation 
should  be  the  one  uniting  all  working  people  of 
all  nations  and  tongues  and  kindreds."  The 
awakened  conscience  of  the  American  people  along 
the  line  of  social  service  promises  much  for  the 
working  woman  and  her  family.  This  first-hand 
acquaintance  with  the  actual  conditions  of  the 
women  and  girls  in  the  stores  and  factories  of  one's 
own  community  will  demand  improvements  and 
suggest  practical  ways  for  help.  Here  is  a  means 
that  the  church  may  use  in  the  interpretation  to 
the  wage-earner  of  the  community  of  its  gospel  of 

'  Helen  Marot. 


126  Lives  Worth  Living 

"peace  on  earth,  goodwill  to  men,"  The  inter- 
dependence of  the  human  family  grows  more  and 
more  complex,  and  we  need  only  to  consider  the 
number  of  persons  often  needed  to  complete  a 
single  article  (a  pair  of  men's  trousers,  for  instance, 
passing  through  fifty-one  hands)  to  appreciate  that 
after  all,  even  as  we  have  many  members  in  one 
body  and  all  the  members  have  not  the  same  office, 
so  we  who  are  many  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and 
severally  members  one  of  another;  and  when  one 
member  suffers  all  the  other  members  suffer  with 
it  (see  I  Cor.  12:12-27).  If  our  churches  through 
their  parish  and  community  houses  or  different 
organizations  could  provide  for  the  social  life  of 
some  of  those  in  their  neighborhood  who  are  prac- 
tically homeless,  many  an  honest  working  girl  might 
be  helped  and  mistakes  avoided. 

Thus  it  seems  our  duty  to  make  every  effort  to 
acquaint  ourselves  with  the  conditions,  and  then 
through  our  homes,  our  churches,  and  our  civic  life 
to  show  to  the  woman  who  works  in  our  shop,  our 
office,  our  mill,  or  our  factory  that  behind  her  are 
the  interest  and  the  influence  of  the  women  of  this 
country,  who  stand  ready  to  help  the  woman  in 
industry. 

For  Continued  Thought 

"Our  problem  is  not  how  shall  we  eliminate 
woman  from  industry,  but  how  shall  we  be  humane 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  127 

and  just,  so  that  her  industry  shall  enrich  her  life, 
not  deplete  it."' 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  When  is  work  a  blessing  ?  When  does  it  become 
drudgery  ? 

2.  Mention  several  reasons  for  woman's  entrance 
into  the  industrial  world  of  today. 

3.  What  occupations  are  open  to  her  ?  Name  those 
most  favorable  to  her  welfare. 

4.  What  difficulties  confront  the  woman  in  industry 
(a)  physically,  (b)  intellectually,  (c)  socially? 

5.  What  effect  does  the  competition  of  women 
workers  have  upon  men's  wages?  What  effect  upon 
the  home  life  ? 

6.  What  are  some  of  the  reasons  for  low  wages  for 
women  ? 

7.  What  is  meant  by  the  minimum  wage  ?  Reasons 
for  and  against  it. 

8.  What  is  an  average  wage  of  the  working  woman 
in  your  vicinity?  What  would  it  mean  if  her  wages 
were  advanced  three  dollars  a  week  ? 

9.  What  has  legislation  done  for  the  working 
woman  ? 

10.  What  are  the  laws  in  your  state  in  regard  to 
working  women?  What  is  the  next  improvement  to 
work  for? 

11.  What  have  women  in  industry  gained  by  organi- 
zation ?     Are  strikes  a  benefit  or  an  abuse  ? 

'  J.  A.  Ecob,  Studies  in  Social  Christianity. 


128  Lives  Worth  Living 

12.  What  bearing  does  woman's  position  in  industry 
have  upon  the  question  of  woman's  suffrage  ? 

13.  Why  is  work  in  a  factory  often  preferred  to 
domestic  service  ? 

*i4.  Under  what  conditions  does  the  shop  or  factory 
girl  in  your  town  or  neighborhood  live  and  work  ? 

*i5.  Distinguish  between  the  kind  of  competi- 
tion that  destroys  and  the  competition  in  system, 
method,  and  general  excellence  that  upbuilds.  Find 
examples. 

16.  What  is  welfare  work?  Mention  several  cor- 
porations who  have  done  the  most  in  this  line. 

*i7.  Make  a  study  of  the  welfare  work  of  some  busi- 
ness corporation,  preferably  one  in  your  own  vicinity 
that  you  can  personally  visit  and  report  on  to  the  class. 

*i8.  If  woman  competes  successfully  with  man  in 
business,  is  he  under  the  same  obligation  to  be  as  chival- 
rous as  formerly?  Illustrate  with  such  concrete 
examples  as  lifting  one's  hat  in  an  elevator  or  giving  up 
a  seat  in  the  trolley  car. 

19.  How  may  the  church  that  is  located  in  an  indus- 
trial community  help  the  woman  in  industry  ?  What 
can  you  do  in  your  church  ? 

20.  Do  you  think  that  the  entrance  of  women  into 
industry  has  done  harm  or  good  ? 

*2i.  What  do  you  imagine  is  likely  to  be  the  future 
development  of  this  movement  of  woman  into  the  in- 
dustrial world? 

Reference  Books 

*Abbott,  Edith,  Women  in  Industry, 
Addams,  Jane,  Newer  Ideals  of  Peace. 
Ainslie  and  Wyatt,  Making  Both  Ends  Meet. 


Woman's  Place  in  Industry  129 

fOoss,  Mary  Lathrop,  Welfare  Work  by  Corporations,  Pamphlet, 
published  by  American  Baptist  Publishing  Society,  lo  cents. 
Hart  and  McLaughlin,  New  Encyclopedia  on  American  Govern- 
ment. 
Henderson,  Charles  R.,  Social  Duties. 
^International  Harvester  Company  and  Its  Employes.     Chicago. 

Pamphlet. 
Kelley,  Florence,  Some  Ethical  Gains  through  Legislation. 
MacLean,  Annie  M.,  Wage-earning  Women. 
Marot,  Helen,  American  Labor  Unions. 

Rauschenbusch,  Walter,  Christianity  and  the  Social  Crisis.     Con- 
servation of  National  Ideals,  chap,  iv,  "The  Church  and  the 
Social  Question,"  by  Rauschenbusch,  is  an  excellent  con- 
densation of  this  larger  book. 
Robins,  Margaret  Dreier,  Life  and  Labor. 
\Studies  in  Social  Christianity.     American  Institute  of  Social 

Service,  Bible  House,  New  York,  May,  191 2.     5  cents. 
\The  Department  Store  Girl.     Pamphlet,  published  by  the  Juvenile 

Protective  Association,  Chicago. 
fUnited  States  Bureau  of  Labor      Reports  upon  women  and  chil- 
dren in  industry. 
fWomen's  Trade  Union  League,  166  W.  Washington  St.,  Chicago. 
Pamphlet. 


CHAPTER  VI— LESSON  XI 

CORINNA     SHATTUCK— MISSIONARY     HEROINE 
OF  OORFA 

And  Jesus  came  to  them  [his  disciples]  and  spake 
unto  ihem,  saying,  All  authority  hath  been  given  unto 
me  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye  therefore,  and  make 
disciples  of  all  the  nations  ....  teaching  them  to 
observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  commanded  you:  and 
lo,  I  am  with  you  always.' 

"The  Lord  prospered  my  undertaking  and  I  worked 
faithfully  to  the  very  end."^ 


1848 
1852 

1864 
1869 

1873 
1876 
1878 
1879 

1883 
1802 


Life  Sketch 

April  21,  born  in  Louisville,  Kentucky. 
Left  an  orphan  and  brought  up  by  her  grandparents 
in  Acton,  Massachusetts. 
Became  a  teacher. 

Entered   normal   school   at   Framingham,   Massa- 
chusetts. 

August  27,  sailed  for  Turkey. 
First  visit  to  Oorfa,  Turkey. 
Taught  in  Kessab  and  Adana,  Turkey. 
Returned  to  America,  on  account  of  her  health,  and 
lived  four  years  in  Colorado. 
Went  back  to  Turkey,  and  taught  at  Marash. 
Was  transferred  to  Oorfa. 


'Matt.  28:18-20. 

'  Corinna  Shattuck — Missionary  Heroine,  p.  19. 
130 


CORINNA  ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  131 


Courtesy  of  ll'onuin's  Board  0/  AJisiwiis  of  the  Interior 

CORINNA  SHATTUCK 


132  Lives  Worth  Living 

1895-96.     Massacre  of  Armenians  at  Oorfa. 
1896.     Organized  industrial  work  for  the  orphans. 
1899-1900.     Visited  Europe  to  find  a  market  for  the  work 

done  in  her  industrial  school. 
1902.    Opening  of  the  Shattuck  School  for  the  Blind. 
1908.     Great  political  changes. 

1910.     April,  left  for  America  in  search  of  a  successor. 
1910.    May  22,  died  in  Boston,  Massachusetts. 

Life  Story 

In  the  Mesopotamian  plain  of  old  Assyria — now 
known  as  Asiatic  Turkey — between  the  Euphrates 

and  Tigris  rivers,  is  a  walled  city 
oorfa'*^*'*        called   Oorfa,   which   has   the   same 

location  as  the  ancient  city  of  Edessa, 
a  seat  of  culture  and  learning  in  the  first  centuries 
of  the  Christian  era,  until  destroyed  by  the  Persians 
in  489  A.D.  Here  lived  Ephraim,  the  Syrian,  a 
famous  commentator  on  the  Scriptures  and  a 
hymn-writer,  who  dwelt  in  a  cave  and  was  ven- 
erated as  a  saint;  also  Jacob,  bishop  of  Edessa, 
theologian  and  translator  of  Greek  works  into  the 
Syriac,  which  won  for  him  the  honorable  title  of 
"interpreter  of  books."  At  one  time  there  were 
three  hundred  monasteries  and  thirty  Christian 
churches  in  the  city.  But  in  1144A.D.  the  city 
was  conquered  by  the  Turks  and  the  churches 
were  changed  into  mosques. 

This  great  Mesopotamian  plain  is  still  very  fertile 
and  with  cultivation  might  become  the  granary  of 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  1 33 

a  continent.  Even  in  its  present  condition,  great 
quantities  of  wheat  are  harvested  every  year. 

Oorfa  is  one  of  its  principal  cities  and  has  a  popu- 
lation of  fifty  thousand,  of  which  a  large  proportion 
are  Armenians,  the  remainder  Turks  and  Kurds 
with  a  few  Syrians  and  Jews.  But  its  most 
distinguished  citizen  of  modern  times  was  an  Ameri- 
can woman  who,  by  her  heroic  service  through 
long  years,  exemplified  both  by  her  words  and  by 
her  life  the  power  of  Christianity. 

Corinna  Shattuck  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, on  April  21,  1848,  of  sterling  New  England 
ancestry.  Left  an  orphan  at  four 
Eari^  life  years  of  age,  she  was  brought  up  by 

her  grandparents  in  Acton,  Massa- 
chusetts. Here  she  learned  lessons  of  industry 
and  strict  economy;  also  the  value  of  high  ideals 
and  an  earnest  Christian  faith.  She  became  a 
teacher  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  but  three  years 
later  her  pastor's  wife  awakened  her  interest  in  mis- 
sions and  she  entered  the  state  normal  school  at 
Framingham  in  preparation  for  the  life  of  a  mis- 
sionary. To  interest  her  fellow-students  in  mis- 
sionary work,  she  began  correspondence  with  a 
young  woman  who  had  charge  of  a  boarding- 
school  for  girls  in  Aintab.  Her  letters  so  impressed 
the  missionaries  that  she  was  asked  to  come  to 
Turkey  as  soon  as  possible  after  her  graduation, 
and  she  sailed  on  August  27,  1873. 


134  Lives  Worth  Living 

The  first  years  in  Turkey  were  spent  in  learning 

the  language,  teaching  in  the  schools,  and  touring 

with  other  missionaries.     Those  who 

Begins  Work      ^ere  her  co-workers  found  her  a  most 
in  Turkey 

devoted,  courageous,  and  resourceful 
woman.  Almost  by  instinct  she  seemed  to  search 
out  the  greatest  need,  and  it  was  not  long  before 
she  asked  permission  to  open  a  school  for  girls 
at  Oorfa.  She  writes  from  there  a  few  weeks  later: 
*'  Our  school  numbers  thirteen  girls  and  five  women. 
The  women  take  only  Bible  lessons.  They  are 
very  regular  in  attendance,  but  Turkish  is  hard  for 
them.  No  four  months  can  decide  whether  or  not 
our  work  is  successful.  Two  years  is  short  enough 
time  to  fully  inaugurate  a  system  of  schools.  This 
week  we  begin  to  teach  sewing.  The  girls  are  very 
anxious  for  it,  and  it  will  act  as  a  bait  and  a  diver- 
sion. We  get  new  pupils  by  visiting  from  house  to 
house.  Our  girls  come  to  Sunday  school,  and  I 
have  organized  two  classes  for  women.  Pastor 
Abonhayat  is  giving  interesting  sermons  on  Sunday 
afternoons.  Such  close  attention  by  the  people  and 
such  splendid  teaching  exercises  by  a  native  I  have 
seldom,  if  ever,  seen.  Today  there  were  no  less 
than  two  hundered  women  and  girls  present,  and 
the  men's  side  of  the  church  was  over-full. 

"Yesterday  the  Pasha  called  and  as  he  asked 
especially  for  me,  I  was  sent  for.  He  talked  of  my 
work  here  and  expressed   real  interest.     Indeed, 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  135 

he  was  very  agreeable — but  how  I  did  long  for  an 
American  man.  Sometimes  it  is  hard  to  feel 
myself  so  alone.  I  do  not  want  to  be  bold  and 
unladylike,  neither  do  I  want  to  ignore  my  Ameri- 
can citizenship  by  putting  myself  on  a  level  with 
natives  in  everything." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  next  year  (1878)  Miss 
Shattuck  went  to  Kessab,  where  she  was  thirty- 
„.  .,    .      .       six    miles    from    a    post-ofi&ce    and 

Visits  America  _  ^ 

to  Recover         far  from  her  Aintab  associates.     The 

Her  Health  r  ■         •  i.*   r       r^ 

exposure  from  tourmg,  which  often 
meant  fording  streams  and  riding  for  hours  in 
wet  garments,  had  a  serious  effect  on  her  health, 
arid  in  1879  she  returned  to  America  and  went  to 
Colorado,  where  she  spent  four  years  trying  to  get 
strong  again.  At  length  she  became  very  restless, 
and  wrote  to  a  friend,  "How  can  I  continue  my 
work  here,  which  a  dozen  others  might  perform 
much  more  skilfully,  when  I  could  be  telling  those 
poor  souls  over  in  Syria  of  a  Savior  who  has  redeemed 
them — telling  them,  too,  in  their  own  tongue,  which 
I  have  spent  so  much  time  to  acquire." 

At  length  she  found  a  physician  who  thought  she 
would  be  as  well  in  Turkey  as  in  America,  and  she 

was  permitted  to  return  for  half- 
TurkeT  *°         work  as  a  missionary  of  the  Woman's 

Board  of  Missions  of  the  Interior. 
One  lung  was  practically  useless,  but  instead  of 
doing  "half -work,"  she  kept  her  hands  so  busy 


136  Lives  Worth  Living 

and  her  mind  so  full  of  plans,  she  quite  forgot 
herself.  Her  first  teaching  after  her  return  was 
at  Marash,  but  later  she  went  to  Oorfa,  where  the 
work  that  was  to  distinguish  her  as  a  missionary 
still  lay  in  the  future  and  covered  a  period  of 
eighteen  years. 

Early  in  1895  rumors  of  political  troubles  reached 
the  city,  and  in  the  autumn  Oorfa  was  devastated 

by  a  mob  and  sixty  people  were 
?rmenians°^       killed.     Miss   Shattuck  made   every 

effort  to  remove  her  household  to 
Aintab  for  safety,  but  the  government  would  not 
grant  her  a  traveling  permit.  She  writes  at  this 
time,  "No  permit  as  yet.  If  I  cannot  leave  I 
accept  in  peace  the  will  of  God  and  remain.  He 
knows  what  he  has  planned  for  me."  How  little 
she  realized  what  "his  plan"  was  to  be!  On 
December  28,  the  attack  came.  Miss  Shattuck 
was  the  only  missionary  in  the  city,  and  her  sole 
helpers  were  native  Armenians.  Her  letters  de- 
scribe those  awful  days.  "From  Saturday  morn- 
ing until  Sunday  night  crowds  of  Moslems  went 
about,  entering  the  houses,  ferreting  out  its  hidden 
men,  and  butchering  them  like  so  many  sheep. 
Women  and  children  were  taken  from  their  homes 
and  crowded  into  mosque  and  khan,  while  their 
houses  were  robbed  of  everything.  We  were  not 
disturbed,  as  a  guard  stood  outside  my  street  door 
calling,  'This  is  the  house  of  a  foreigner;    it  is 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  137 

not  permitted  to  enter  here.'  Neighbors  rushed 
in  pell-mell  over  our  walls,  our  servant  being 
unable  to  keep  them  out.  By  Saturday  night  I 
found  they  were  everywhere;  in  my  private  rooms, 
the  kitchen,  and  even  in  the  stable,  anywhere 
to  be  under  my  shadow.  Poor  things!  What  was 
I  to  do  ?  I  need  not  say  I  slept  none  that  night. 
In  the  morning  I  persuaded  the  men  to  go  to  the 
schoolroom  of  the  Protestant  church,  and  in  a  few 
hours  I  had  all  the  men  off  my  premises,  hidden 
and  under  lock,  the  key  with  myself,  and  supplied 
with  bread  and  water  for  twenty-four  hours.  It 
was  a  heavy  responsibility  I  carried,  but  less  risk 
than  to  retain  them  in  my  home. 

''Sunday  afternoon  a  grand  procession  of  mili- 
tary and  civil  officers  appeared  and  requested 
entrance  to  our  yard,  and  asked  that  I  appear  on 
the  veranda.  Peering  into  windows,  they  inquired 
if  we  had  men  here.  We  could  honestly  say,  'No, 
only  women  and  children.'  All  day  there  was  the 
smell  of  burning  wool  and  cotton  in  the  houses 
fired,  and  later  the  sickening  odors  from  the  great 
holocaust  in  the  Gregorian  church  where  some 
three  thousand  perished. 

"Monday,  the  work  was  declared  done,  and 
announcements  made  that  people  were  safe. 
Slowly  they  began  to  come  out  of  their  hiding- 
holes — wells,  vaults,  drains,  and  all  imaginable 
places — some  not  having  tasted  food  since  Saturday. 


138  Lives  Worth  Living 

The  Protestant  loss  is  one  hundred  and  ten. 
Our  pastor  and  several  leaders  were  killed.  I  have 
the  pastor's  six  children  with  me.  Everybody's 
house  is  empty.  All  are  utterly  crushed.  We  are 
in  a  thick  cloud,  but  God  lives  and  we  will  trust 
him." 

Miss    Shattuck's    courage    and    resourcefulness 

saved   at  least   three  hundred  lives  during  those 

awful  days  of  massacre;  but  now  she 

Organized  ^^^  confronted  with  a  situation  which 

Industrial  Work 

taxed  her  abilities  to  the  utmost. 
After  as  many  as  possible  of  the  orphans  had  been 
placed  with  relatives  and  friends,  over  three  thou- 
sand remained  unprovided  for.  From  these  Miss 
Shattuck  took  one  hundred  and  fifty,  although 
she  took  none  whose  mothers  had  been  left  with 
less  than  four  children.  For  all  of  these  she  had 
a  mother's  heart,  and  it  was  the  training  of  these 
helpless  women  and  children  in  different  forms 
of  industrial  work  that  revealed  her  tireless  energy 
and  unusual  ability  as  a  business  woman. 

Work  with  the  girls  naturally  began  with  wash- 
ing, cooking,  and  sewing,  which  later  developed 
into  silk  embroidery  and  delicate  work  on  hand- 
kerchiefs and  collars.  There  was  not  enough 
demand  for  their  work  in  Turkey,  so  Miss  Shattuck 
visited  Europe  and  secured  the  McBride  Company, 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  a  German  firm,  as  her 
agents.     From    this    time    the   embroidery   work 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  139 

was  established  on  a  firm  financial  basis.  Over 
two  thousand  women  and  girls  were  regularly 
employed,  and  five  hundred  dozen  embroidered 
handkerchiefs  were  shipped  every  week. 

Even  in  America  the  organizer  of  industry  is  one 
of  the  greatest  benefactors  in  a  community.  How 
much  more  was  this  true  in  that  desolated  region 
where  the  organizing  genius  was  a  frail  woman, 
without  capital  or  competent  assistants,  and  a 
market  three  thousand  miles  away! 

The  boys  of  her  orphanage  learned  to  bake  the 
bread  for  the  three  homes,  make  shoes,  and  work 
in  the  vineyards.  It  was  four  years  later  (1904) 
that  systematic  work  with  the  boys  under  Mr. 
George  Gracey,  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  was  begun.  A 
tailor  shop  and  shoe  shop,  together  with  carpentry 
and  iron  work  and  farming,  gave  worthy  occupation 
to  the  boys. 

As  one  of  Miss  Shattuck's  associates  once  wrote 

of  her,  "Miss  Shattuck  was  a  born  leader  and 

organizer,  and  could  endure  more  for 

di3.rfl.ct  eristics 

a  woman  of  her  physique  than  anyone 
I  ever  saw.  Under  a  somewhat  cold  exterior  was  a 
warm  and  sympathetic  heart.  With  her  a  thing 
was  either  right  or  wrong.  She  wanted  nothing 
half-way.  Hers  was  a  lonely,  hard  life,  but  she 
did  her  work,  and  a  grand  one  it  was." 

In  a  letter  to  a  friend.  Miss  Shattuck  revealed 
the  strong  faith  and  wide  vision  which  characterized 


I40  Lives  Worth  Living 

her  work.  "I  feel,"  wrote  she,  "the  great  need 
of  bringing  forward  the  common  people  more,  al- 
though the  thought  of  others  is  for  educated, 
strong  leaders  in  school  and  pulpit  work.  I  favor 
that  heartily,  but  feel  we  need  also  skilled  workmen 
to  support  such  leaders  and  appreciate  them.  I 
would  like  manual  labor  not  to  be  so  despised  by 
our  graduates.  I  feel  that  our  young  fellows,  as 
they  enter  upon  their  trades,  should  have  more 
skilful  fingers,  more  inventive  power.  Then  they 
would  desire  to  do  differently  from  their  fathers 
and  grandfathers  and  become  advanced  workmen 
instead  of  plodding  forever  through  Hfe  at  a  scanty 
existence."' 

Among  Miss  Shattuck's  native  teachers  in  the 

day  school  was  Mary  Harootoonyan,  who  became 

blind   and   who    afterward,    through 

Shattuck  School  jy[-gg  Shattuck's  influence,  went  to  the 

for  the  Blind  ' 

Royal  Normal  College  for  the  Blind 
in  London.  On  her  return  she  gathered  the  blind 
children  of  the  neighborhood  and  taught  them  to 
read.  This  work  later  developed  into  the  Shattuck 
School  for  the  Blind,  where  mat-weaving  and  lace- 

'  Miss  Shattuck's  presence  commanded  respect  from  every 
class  of  people.  The  Turks  especially  were  greatly  impressed  with 
her  masterfulness.  See  the  booklet,  Corinna  Shattuck — Mission- 
ary Heroine,  printed  by  the  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
Interior,  Chicago,  for  the  several  accounts  of  her  dealings  with  the 
Arabs  and  the  Pasha  of  her  neighborhood,  and  a  picture  of  the 
life  and  customs  of  the  times,  pp.  22-25. 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  141 

making  was  added  to  the  common-school  studies 
and  the  study  of  the  Bible.  Miss  Shattuck  never 
forgot  that  she  was  first  of  all  a  missionary,  and 
that  all  her  work  was  truly  religious.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  each  day's  work  a  passage  from  the  Bible 
was  read  and  explained,  and  a  prayer  offered. 
In  1908  occurred  the  political  changes  in  Turkey 
and  the  uprising  of  the  Young  Turk  party,  which 
caused  great  restlessness  among  the 
America  to  Find  people.     Then   Came    the   saddening 

a  Successor  t    a  j  u  1      r 

massacre  at  Adana,  where  several  of 
Miss  Shattuck's  friends  were  killed.  These  events, 
together  with  the  heavy  financial  responsibility 
of  the  orphanages  and  the.  industrial  work,  were 
too  heavy  a  burden  for  Miss  Shattuck  alone.  Al- 
though in  very  poor  health,  she  determined  to  go 
again  to  America  in  search  of  a  helper,  feeling  sure 
that  if  she  could  present  the  need,  there  would 
be  a  response  from  some  young  man  and  his  wife 
to  carry  on  her  work.  She  also  felt  that  the  com- 
plete change  and  rest  would  enable  her  to  re- 
cuperate as  she  had  done  before.  So  feeble  was 
she  when  she  took  the  steamer,  April  27,  1910,  that 
she  went  at  once  to  her  stateroom  and  did  not 
leave  it  during  the  entire  voyage.  However, 
Christian  friends  discovered  who  the  sick  lady  was, 
and  everything  possible  was  done  for  her  comfort. 
On  her  arrival  at  Boston,  she  was  given  excellent 
care  and  attention  at  the  Cullis  Home  in  one  of  the 


142  Lives  Worth  Living 

suburbs  of  the  city,  where  she  wrote  to  a  friend, 
"I  am  at  last  hidden  in  a  good  place.  I  did  not 
fear  the  morning,  I  had  no  fear  at  noon,  and  shall 
not  be  afraid  of  the  evening.  My  work  is  nothing. 
Anything  I  did  was  all  for  Him.^' 

But  the  work  of  the  frail,  weary  missionary  was 

done,  and  she  died  on  Sunday  morning,  May  22, 

loio.     She  once  wrote  to  a  friend, 

Her  Death  cc-rr  •        1  it        it  1  i   im 

If  It  pleases  the  Lord,  1  would  like 
to  die  in  the  harness,"  and  she  had  her  wish. 
Death  overtook  her  while  she  was  still  on  the  march 
in  search  of  a  successor,  and  even  on  the  day  of  her 
death  she  talked  hopefully  of  future  plans. 

"If  she  had  lived  in  the  fifth  century,"  writes  a 
fellow-missionary,  "  the  ascetic  simplicity  of  her  life 
would  have  surrounded  her  head  with  an  aureole 
and  her  memory  with  legends;  only  you  cannot  put 
an  aureole  on  a  Puritan  woman  in  a  cotton  frock." 

The  faithful  Armenians  of  Oorfa  have  marked 
her  resting-place  with  a  granite  stone,  but  her 
truest  monument  is  in  the  noble  Uves  of  those 
orphans  of  Turkey,  many  of  whom,  in  their  own 
country  and  in  the  United  States,  are  perpetuating 
her  memory  by  self-sacrificing  service  for  others. 

Central  Idea  of  the  Lesson 

A  modern  American  woman  found  a  life  of 
industrial  missionary  service  so  rewarding  that  she 
could  not  abandon  it  even  to  save  her  own  life. 


CORINNA   ShATTUCK — MISSIONARY  143 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  What  is  the  value  of  missionary  biography? 

2.  By  which  are  we  more  influenced,  concrete 
examples  or  abstract  principles  of  virtuous  living? 

3.  What  seemingly  insignificant  events  prepared 
the  way  for  Miss  Shattuck's  life-work?  What  effect 
did  her  ancestry  have  upon  her  life  ? 

4.  Locate  and  describe  the  country  to  which  she 
went. 

5.  How  would  her  journey  in  1873  compare  with  that 
of  the  missionaries  who  go  to  Turkey-in-Asia  tod'a.y? 

6.  Describe  the  beginning  of  her  work  at  Oorfa 
before  she  settled  there  permanently. 

*7.  What  would   you   have  found   interesting  in  a 
personal  touring  trip  with  Corinna  Shattuck  ? 

8.  What  great  disappointment  came  to  her  in  1879  ? 
What  remark  while  she  was  waiting  in  Colorado 
revealed  her  great  love  for  her  work  ? 

9.  What  was  her  physical  condition  when  she 
returned  to  Turkey  ? 

10.  Describe  the  terrible  calamity  that  revealed  her 
heroism  and  placed  her  in  the  front  rank  of  missionaries. 

11.  What  unusual  circumstances  called  out  her 
remarkable  executive  ability  as  an  organizer  of 
industry  ? 

12.  What  great  difficulties  did  she  overcome  later 
in  her  industrial  work,  and  with  what  success? 

13.  Illustrate  her  self-sacrifice,  her  tact,  her  vision, 
her  Christian  faith,  her  heroism.  What  impression 
does  her  personality  make  upon  you  ? 

14.  Describe  her  work  for  the  blind. 


144  Lives  Worth  Living 

15.  What  evidences  of  her  work  still  remain? 

*i6.  Mention  several  especially  important  days  in 
Corinna  Shattuck's  life. 

*i7.  Did  it  require  greater  heroism  to  protect 
hundreds  of  helpless  Armenians  on  the  day  of  the 
massacre  at  Oorfa,  or  to  work  for  over  twenty-five 
years  with  only  one  lung  at  a  station  three  days' 
journey  from  the  nearest  missionary? 

18.  What  single  idea  permeated  all  her  work? 

19.  What  controlling  impulses  of  her  life  may  be 
an  inspiration  to  us  ? 

*2o.  What  effect  does  such  a  life  have  upon  world- 
wide missions?  What  effect  ought  it  to  have  upon 
young  people  today  ? 

Reference  Books 

fClark,  Joseph,  The  Smoke  of  a  Thousand  Villages.  Leaflet  pub- 
lished by  the  Young  People's  Missionary  Movement,  New 
York.     5  cents. 

Greene,  Frederick,  The  Armenian  Crisis  in  Turkey. 

Hubbard,  Ethel  D.,  Ann  of  Ava. 

Mission  Studies  for  1895-96.  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of 
the  Interior,  Chicago. 

Montgomery,  Helen  B.,  Western  Women  in  Eastern  Lands, 
chap.  iv. 

Oldham,  W.  F.,  Life  of  Isabella  Thoburn.  Booklet  published  by 
the  Methodist  Book  Concern,  New  York  and  Chicago. 
25  cents. 

fPeabody,  Emily  Clough,  Corinna  Shatluck — Missionary  Heroine. 
Booklet  published  by  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of  the 
Interior,  Chicago.     10  cents. 

The  Missionary  Herald  for  1895-96.  American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  Boston. 


CHAPTER  VI— LESSON  XII 

FLORENCE  NIGHTINGALE— PIONEER  IN  A 
PROFESSION 

Lo !  in  that  house  of  misery 
A  lady  with  a  lamp  I  see 

Pass  through  the  glimmering  gloom, 

And  flit  from  room  to  room. 
And  slow,  as  in  a  dream  of  bliss, 
The  speechless  sufferer  turns  to  kiss 

Her  shadow,  as  it  falls 

Upon  the  darkening  walls. 
On  England's  annals,  through  the  long 
Hereafter  of  her  speech  and  song. 

That  light  its  rays  shall  cast 

From  portals  of  the  past. 
A  Lady  with  a  Lamp  shall  stand 
In  the  great  history  of  the  land, 

A  noble  type  of  good, 

Heroic  womanhood.* 

Life  Sketch 

1820.     May  15,  Born  in  Florence,  Italy. 

1849.    Visits  Institute  of  Protestant  Nurses  at  Kaiserwerth, 

Germany. 
1854-56.     Crimean  War. 
1854.    November  4,  arrived  at  Scutari. 
1856.     July,  returned  to  Derbyshire,  England. 
1858.    Published  Noles  on  Nursing. 
1910.    August  13,  died  at  London,  England. 

'  Henry  W.  Longfellow,  "Santa  Filomena." 

145 


146  Lives  Worth  Living 

Life  Story 

It  is  given  to  comparatively  few  people  in  the 
world's  history  to  enlarge  the  area  of  the  life  of  the 
human  race.  This  is  done  sometimes  in  terms  of 
geography,  and  sometimes  in  the  wider  range  or 
higher  power  of  human  employments.  Columbus, 
it  might  be  said,  gave  the  race  a  new  hemisphere; 
Livingstone,  a  new  continent;  James  Watt,  with 
his  steam  engine,  gave  men  a  new  power  over  nature, 
and,  as  has  been  said  of  Samuel  Morse  with  his 
telegraph,  "he  gave  civilization  a  new  set  of 
nerves."  Florence  Nightingale  gave  to  England 
a  new  profession.  Her  training  school  for  nurses 
in  London  was  among  the  first  of  those  now  found 
the  world  over,  and  was  the  dawn  of  a  new  day 
for  the  homes  and  especially  for  the  womanhood  of 
the  world. 

Florence  Nightingale  was  born  on  May  15,  1820, 
in  the  city  of  Florence,  Italy,  for  which  she  was 
named.  Her  father,  William  Night- 
Earf  Ufe  ingale,  was  a  wealthy  English  gentle- 

man of  unusual  refinement  and  cul- 
ture. Highly  educated  himself,  and  having  no 
sons,  he  made  the  education  of  his  two  daughters 
his  personal  care.  Though  they  studied  at  home, 
they  were  in  many  ways  as  thoroughly  and  broadly 
taught  as  if  they  had  attended  the  University, 
which  was  not  open  to  English  women  at  that 


Florence  Nightingale — Pioneer       147 

cime.  This  did  much  to  give  Miss  Nightingale  her 
distinction  among  the  women  of  England,  and  made 
her  a  pioneer  of  that  host  of  trained  and  efficient 
women  who  now  have  such  a  large  share  in  the 
world's  work.  She  had  a  great  desire  to  be  a  nurse 
from  the  time  when,  as  a  child,  she  preferred  sick 
dolls  to  well  ones,  curing  them  in  the  evening  only 
to  stretch  them  on  beds  of  pain  the  next  morning, 
that  she  might  have  the  satisfaction  of  nursing 
them.  But  in  her  day,  nursing  the  sick,  except 
in  one's  own  family,  was  not  considered  a  suitable 
occupation  for  a  young  woman  of  refinement  and 
social  position,  and  she  was  not  permitted  to  fulfil 
her  desire.  Instead,  she  was  taken  to  London  and 
presented  at  court,  as  her  social  position  required, 
but  it  is  significant  that  she  spent  her  leisure  while 
in  town  in  inspecting  hospitals.  Her  biographer^ 
says  that  at  this  time  she  was  tall  and  slight  and 
of  a  finely  molded  figure.  Her  face,  of  sweet  and 
delicate  beauty,  sensitively  expressed  the  devout 
and  cultured  soul  within. 

It  was  the  custom  in  England  for  young  gentle- 
women to  wait  at  home  in  leisure,  if  not  in  idleness, 
until  a  proposal  of  marriage  came  to  them.  But 
Florence  Nightingale  would  have  none  of  idleness. 
She  insisted  that  marriage  was  best  for  most  women 
yet  she  did  not  propose  to  wait  passively  for  her 

^  Sarah  A.  Tooley,  Life  of  Florence  Nightingale. 


148  Lives  Worth  Living 

English  lord,  if  there  were  one,  to  appear.  She 
reckoned  every  year  of  her  young  womanhood  as 
precious,  "and,"  she  said  to  an  elderly  friend, 
"you  must  show  us  how  to  be  single."  They  did 
not  show  her,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  she  did  show 
hundreds  of  young  English  women  both  how  to 
be  single  and  also  how  to  do  some  of  the  happiest 
and  best  work  in  the  world.  Here  is  the  picture 
of  an  educated,  ambitious  English  girl,  watching 
to  discover  her  appointed  place  of  usefulness  and 
service.  Unaware  of  the  triumphs  and  the  suffer- 
ing before  her,  she  was  doing  well  day  by  day  the 
next  thing  that  came  to  her.  During  this  period 
of  waiting  she  gathered  the  factory  girls  of  the 
village  at  her  home  on  Sunday  afternoons  for  a 
Bible  class,  and  became  a  frequent  visitor  in  every 
home  of  pain  and  sorrow  in  all  that  region. 

England  had  hardly  raised  the  question  of  caring 
adequately  for  its  sick,  nursing  being  a  sort  of 
household  occupation.  Miss  Nightingale  lifted 
it  to  a  profession,  where  the  most  scientific  methods 
only  were  followed.  She  believed  that  women  had 
special  gifts  for  service  of  this  kind  and  that  the 
world  would  value,  welcome,  and  pay  for  skilled 
women  as  well  as  skilled  men.  Her  success  proved 
that  she  was  right,  and  by  her  providential  popu- 
larity she  convinced  the  entire  nation  of  it.  We 
say  providential,  because  the  Crimean  War,  with 
its  heavy  loss  of  life,  had  roused  England  emo- 


Florence  Nightestgale — Pioneer       149 

tionally,  until  in  her  extremity  she  cried  out  for 
a  deliverer. 

It  was  at  this  time  that  Miss  Nightingale  made 

a  personal  tour  of  the  hospitals  of  Great  Britain. 

She  found  that  the  nursing  was  in 

Hospitals  in       the   hands   of   the   coarsest   type  of 

England  and  on  women,    not    Only    untrained,    but 

the  Continent  ' .  .         -^  ' 

callous  in  feeling  and  often  drunken 
and  immoral,  while  dirt  and  disorder  were  rampant 
in  the  wards.  Later  she  carried  on  her  investiga- 
tions in  other  countries  and  found  conditions  much 
better  on  the  Continent  than  in  England.  The 
Roman  Catholic  Sisters  of  Mercy  in  France  were 
trained  and  doing  admirable  work  in  the  care  of  the 
sick  poor,  and  Miss  Nightingale  learned  much 
from  them.  But  Pastor  Fleidner,  of  the  little 
German  village  of  Kaiserwerth,  in  his  small  parish 
hospital  and  training  school  for  nurses,  gave  to 
Miss  Nightingale  the  vision  which  she  transmuted 
into  deeds  and  institutions  in  later  years. 

In  1854  the  Crimean  War  broke  out  between 
England  and  Russia,  and  after  the  first  battles  the 

war  correspondent  of  the  London 
Srcrfmea         Times  published  a  series  of  articles 

in  regard  to  the  gross  neglect  of  the 
wounded,  stirring  all  England  with  indignation. 
The  staff  of  army  doctors  was  insufficient,  and  there 
were  no  competent  nurses.  The  Times  correspond- 
ent appealed  to  the  women  of  the  nation.     "Are 


150  Lives  Worth  Living 

none  of  the  daughters  of  England,"  cried  he,  "in 
this  extreme  hour  of  need,  able  and  willing  to  go 
forth  to  minister  to  the  sick  in  the  hospitals  at 
Scutari?" 

The  articles  in  the  Times  raised  the  whole 
question  anew,  and  the  head  of  the  war  department, 
being  a  neighbor  of  Florence  Nightingale,  turned 
to  her  for  help.  He  promised  to  put  all  the  re- 
sources of  the  government  at  her  disposal  if  she 
would  raise  and  direct  a  force  of  nurses;  also 
making  her  superintendent,  with  absolute  author- 
ity, of  the  nurses  at  all  the  hospitals  at  the  seat  of 
war.  Strange  to  relate,  this  ofhcial  letter  was 
crossed  in  the  mails  by  one  from  Miss  Nightingale 
offering  her  services  to  the  government. 

As  soon  as  her  acceptance  was  known,  women 
of  all  classes  in  large  numbers  volunteered  to  serve 
under  her.  From  the  first.  Miss  Nightingale 
displayed  not  only  the  highest  technical  knowledge, 
but  great  executive  ability.  After  selecting  her 
helpers,  she  thoroughly  organized  them,  and  in  a 
surprisingly  short  time  was  ready  to  start  for  the 
East.  Her  journey  was  a  continuous  ovation. 
The  feeling  for  the  suffering  soldier-boys  was  very 
tense,  and  she  captured  the  imagination  and  affec- 
tion of  the  nation. 

She  arrived  at  Scutari  just  as  the  great  battle  of 
Inkerman  was  being  fought.  The  British  hospital 
system  was  centered  at  Scutari,  and  Miss  Nightin- 


Florence  Nightingale — Pioneer       151 

gale  found  there  four  miles  of  corridors  in  barracks 
that  were  never  intended  for  a  hospital,  with  over- 
whelming numbers  of  the  wounded 
Tcutarf*  and  dying.     She  found  filth  and  dis- 

order indescribable.  Within  a  day 
the  wounded  from  the  battle  of  Inkerman  began 
to  arrive  by  the  hundreds.  She  went  to  work  with 
tireless  energy  and  amazing  administrative  ability. 
Within  twenty-four  hours  order  and  cleanliness 
began  to  spread  from  her  headquarters  through 
those  miles  of  corridors.  She  used  all  her  authority 
against  the  inefhciency  of  "red-tape"  officials,  who 
were  letting  soldiers  die  for  lack  of  food  which  was 
in  sight  but  which  could  not  be  disturbed  until 
the  coming  of  an  inspector.  These  officials  became 
her  enemies,  but  the  soldiers  she  fed  were  devoted 
to  her.  After  the  day's  work  was  over,  it  was  her 
custom  late  at  night  to  walk,  lamp  in  hand,  through 
the  corridors  to  see  that  the  work  had  been  properly 
done.'  The  poor  fellows,  as  she  passed  by,  would 
try  to  thank  her  with  voices  choked  with  sobs,  while 
others  kissed  her  shadow  as  it  fell  on  their  pillow. 
Gradually  the  effects  of  her  measures  were  seen 
in  a  lowered  death-rate.  "In  February,  1855,  it 
was  as  high  as  42  per  cent,  but  before  many  months 
it  was  reduced  to  2  per  cent."^  After  estabhshing 
order  and  efficiency  at  Scutari,  Miss  Nightingale 

'  Consult  poem  at  the  beginning  of  this  lesson. 

^  Encyclopaedia  Britannica,  article  "Florence  Nightingale." 


152  Lives  Worth  Living 

crossed  to  the  siege  of  Sebastopol,  to  inspect  the 
temporary  hospitals  on  the  field.  While  there  she 
was  stricken  with  fever  from  which  she  recovered 
slowly.  During  her  convalescence,  peace  was 
declared.  She  declined  the  offer  of  a  man-of-war 
to  convey  her  to  England,  but  returned  quietly  on 
a  French  ship,  and  reached  her  country  home  in 
Derbyshire  before  her  arrival  in  England  was 
publicly  known. 

But  thousands  of  homes  in  Britain  united  in  the 
desire  to  offer  her  special  honor.  She  permitted 
nothing  except  the  raising  of  a  fund 
En*knd°  which  was  to  be  used  for  the  founding 

of  the  Nightingale  Training  School 
for  Nurses  in  connection  with  the  famous  St. 
Thomas  Hospital  in  London. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  unrivaled  prestige  that 
had  come  to  Miss  Nightingale  made  her  the  patron, 
almost  the  patron  saint,  of  the  profession  of  nursing. 
It  became,  all  at  once,  through  this  heroic  and  culti- 
vated lady,  a  most  honorable  profession.  In 
1858  she  published  Notes  on  Nursing,  a  book  which 
greatly  stimulated  study  along  these  lines. 

But  Miss  Nightingale's  constitution  had  been 
undermined  by  the  camp-fever,  and  she  never 
recovered  from  it,  although  for  fifty  years  longer 
her  scientific  mind  and  philanthropic  spirit  con- 
tinued a  most  active,  formative  force  in  Enghsh 
Hfe. 


Florence  Nightingale^Pioneer       153 

She  gave  her  Training  School  for  Nurses  con- 
stant care  and  direction,  while  from  her  sick  room, 
as  from  a  throne  of  power,  radiated  counsel  and 
inspiration  to  the  leaders  of  several  world- 
movements.  She  is  said  to  have  been  oflEicially 
consulted  during  the  United  States  Civil  War  and 
also  the  Franco-German  War.  Think  of  govern- 
ments coming  to  her  bedside  for  advice  and  counsel 
in  times  of  national  uprising!  She  had  much  to 
do  with  the  founding  of  the  now  world-wide  Red 
Cross  Society,  and  was  also  the  steadfast  champion 
of  the  system  of  district  nursing,  insisting,  not 
only  that  the  poor  be  nursed  in  their  homes,  but 
that  the  women  in  these  homes  should  be  taught 
how  to  prevent  disease  and  how  to  care  for 
the   sick. 

Miss  Nightingale  died  on  August  13,  1910,  at 

the  age  of  ninety  years.     A  friend  recently  said 

of  her  that  she  had  been  an  over- 

Her  Death 

worked  mvalid  for  more  than  fifty 
years.  How  significant  that  the  woman  who  at 
one  time  stood  waiting  and  wondering  whether 
life  held  any  real  calling  for  her  should  be  given 
such  great  things  to  do.  But  God  often  breaks 
new  paths  for  those  who  have  vision  and  courage. 
Young  women  of  today  should  be  especially  grate- 
ful for  the  life  and  work  of  Florence  Nightingale,  as 
she  has  made  their  life  richer  and  safer,  and  their 
opportunities  for  service  more  varied.     She  not 


154  Lives  Worth  Living 

only  used  an  opportunity,  but  she  enlarged  it, 
and  bridged  the  way  from  the  old  to  the  new  voca- 
tions for  women. 

While    Florence    Nightingale    represented    the 

modern,  scientific  method  in  one  profession,  the 

world  of  art  and  literature  has  been 

Women"in  distinguished  by  such  names  as  Mrs. 

other  Pro-         Siddons  in  the  drama;    George  Eliot 

fessions  .  .  . 

in  the  literature  of  fiction;  Jennie 
Lind  in  song;  Rosa  Bonheur  in  painting,  and  Mary 
Lyon,  the  venerated  teacher. 

For  many  years  teaching  was  the  only  pro 
fession  open  to  women,  but  now  medicine,  law, 
science,  and  even  the  ministry,  make  no  dis- 
crimination against  her.  Each  of  these  profes- 
sions has  many  branches,  and  we  find  our 
trained  young  women  as  journalists,  pastors' 
assistants,  librarians,  story-tellers,  even  college 
professors.  And  there  are  today  undiscovered 
fields  of  service  awaiting  the  young  woman  who 
can  discern  in  her  own  life  capacities  perhaps 
unrealized  before,  and  find  in  the  world's  life  a 
corresponding  need. 

Florence  Nightingale  made  a  distinct  advance 
for  the  Kingdom  of  God  by  bringing  together  the 
capacity  and  the  need.  Her  ability  and  efficiency 
gave  the  true  interpretation  to  her  task,  and  she 
became  what  she  was  frequently  called,  "the 
Queen  of  Nurses." 


Florence  Nightingale — Pioneer       155 

For  Continued  Thought 

The  area  of  a  woman's  life  and  service  is  limited 
only  by  her  ability  and  the  world's  need. 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  What  is  meant  by  a  professional  life?  What 
motives  should  underlie  the  choice  of  a  profession? 
Mention  the  earliest  professions  open  to  women.  Are 
there  any  not  open  to  women  today  ? 

2.  What  influence  did  her  home  and  early  surround- 
ings have  upon  the  life  of  Florence  Nightingale  ?  Why 
was  she  not  content  simply  to  enjoy  them  ? 

3.  Did  Florence  Nightingale  as  a  child  reveal  any 
of  the  gifts  that  were  to  distinguish  her  as  a  woman  ? 
What  difficulties  did  she  have  to  overcome  before  she 
could  use  her  gift  ? 

4.  Describe  the  condition  of  hospitals  in  England 
when  inspected  by  Miss  Nightingale.  How  did  those 
of  France  and  Germany  compare  with  them  ? 

5.  Mention  the  various  periods  of  waiting  in  Miss 
Nightingale's  life.     What  occupied  her  at  such  times  ? 

6.  Where  did  she  get  her  first  idea  of  trained  nursing  ? 

7.  What  historical  event  made  possible  the  use  of 
her  gifts  ? 

8.  How  did  she  find  conditions  at  Scutari,  and  what 
did  she  do  to  remedy  them?  Mention  various  causes 
that  made  her  work  a  success. 

9.  How  significant  was  the  lowering  of  the  death- 
rate  in  the  hospitals  at  Scutari  after  Miss  Nightingale 
had  taken  charge  of  the  nursing? 


156  Lives  Worth  Living 

10.  Why  was  she  known  as  "the  Lady  with  the 
Lamp"?  What  characteristics  of  hers  does  this 
reveal  ? 

11.  Describe  her  return  to  England.  What  was 
her  condition  physically  ? 

12.  How  did  England  express  its  gratitude  for 
what  Florence  Nightingale  had  done  ? 

13.  What  did  Florence  Nightingale  do  for  the  pro- 
fession of  nursing  in  England  ? 

14.  In  what  ways  did  her  sick  room  become  "a 
throne  of  power"  ? 

15.  What  cause  have  we  in  America  to  be  especially 
grateful  to  her  ? 

*i6.  What  message  hasher  life  for  the  trained  young 
woman  today  ?  what  for  the  young  woman  who  sees  no 
opportunity  to  use  her  special  gift  ? 

*i7.  Find  what  women  have  been  able  to  do  in 
some  other  of  the  professions,  such  as  science,  for 
instance. 

18.  Are  opportunities  for  service  greater  in  the 
professional  or  the  industrial  world  ?  Give  the  reasons 
for  your  answer. 

Reference  Books 

Cross,  M.  A.,  Life  of  George  Eliot  as  Related  in  Her  Letters. 
Encyclopaedia  Brilannica,  article  "Florence  Nightingale." 
Kennard,  Nina  H.,  Life  of  Mrs.  Siddons. 

fKeysor,  Jennie  Ellis,  Rosa  Bonhetir,  "Great  Artist  Series,"  Edu- 
cational Publishing  Co.,  50  Bromfield  Street,  Boston.     10 
cents. 
Palmer,  George  Herbert,  Life  of  Alice  Freeman  Palmer. 
*TooIey,  Sarah  A.,  Life  oj  Florence  Nightingale. 
Willis,  Nathaniel  P.,  Life  of  Jennie  Lind  Goldschmidt. 


CHAPTER  VI— LESSON  XIII 
WOMAN  AS  AN  INTERPRETER  OF  THE   FAITH 

The  Lord  giveth  the  word:  the  women  that  publish 
the  tidings  are  a  great  host.' 

Aspects  of  the  Subject 

The  field  of  the  interpreter:  The  individual;  the 
home;  the  school  and  church;  social  and  civic  life; 
missions  and  philanthropy. 

The  means  used  by  the  interpreter:  Education, 
service,  and  inspiration. 

The  achievement  of  the  interpreter:  "The  blind 
receive  their  sight,  and  the  lame  walk,  the  lepers  are 
cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  and  the  dead  are  raised 
up,  and  the  poor  have  good  tidings  preached  to  them" 
(Matt.  II :s). 

General  Survey 

Woman's  position  in  the  world  today  is  mainly 
due  to  the  emancipating  power  of  Christianity. 
The  religion  of  Jesus  lifted  her  from  the  place  of 
the  slave  and  the  plaything  of  man  to  that  of 
companion  and  co-worker.  It  opened  the  gates 
into  a  "kingdom  of  usefulness  and  duty"  of  which 
no  one  had  ever  dreamed  until  the  Christ  came. 
Before  this,  "woman,  beneath  all  her  shame,  felt 

'Ps.  68:ii. 

IS7 


By  courtesy  of  the  sculptor,  Daniel  C.  Freiu  h 

ALICE  FREEMAN  PALMER  MEMORIAL  AT  WELLESLEY  COLLEGE 

At  one  side  of  an  altar  with  its  flame  stands  a  young  girl  who  has  just 
lighted  her  lamp.  In  the  center,  a  beautiful  feminine  form,  with  one  hand  rest- 
ing on  the  girl's  shoulder,  directs  her  into  the  future — a  fitting  memorial  of  one 
who  lovingly  and  earnestly  inspired  the  lives  of  those  whom  she  touched  as  she 
pointed  out  to  them  the  path  of  service. 


Woman  as  Interpreter  of  the  Faith     159 

a  law  of  being  which  she  had  no  power  to  fulfil, 
gleams  of  an  ideal  she  could  not  reach,  hints  of  an 
immortal  life  which  she  had  not  thought  to  separate 
from  fear."^  Then  the  emancipation  of  those 
words,  "There  can  be  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there 
can  be  neither  bond  nor  free,  there  can  be  no  male 
and  female ;  for  ye  are  all  one  man  in  Christ  Jesus  " 
(Gal.  3:28),  struck  off  the  shackles  from  her  soul, 
and  gave  to  woman  ideals  and  motives  that  were  di- 
vine, and  created  for  her  a  "  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth."  What  a  challenge  this  gives  to  Christian 
womanhood  to  stand  for  her  religion ;  to  live  it,  to 
teach  it  around  her  own  hearthstone,  and  in  "the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  world."  And  "when  men 
falter,  woman,  in  some  Mary  Magdalene,  must 
steal  to  the  grave  in  the  morning,  as  darkness  turns 
to  gray;  and  woman  in  reform,  in  achievement,  in 
hope,  must  run  before  a  disheartened  race,  to  cry, 
with  all  the  sweetness  which  a  religion  of  the  heart 
can  give:  'He  is  risen!'  A  woman,  in  that  hour 
before  daybreak,  ran  to  a  new  Poland,  when,  as  the 
wife  of  a  ruler,  she  caught  the  risen  glory  of  Jesus, 
bending  before  all  others  at  that  sepulcher  of  his 
which  we  call  the  Dark  Ages.  A  woman  once 
heard  in  Russia  the  voices  of  resurrection,  before 
all  others,  and  that  Mary  jVIagdalene  ran  and  told 
Russia  that  for  her  Christ  had  risen.  Woman 
beheld  the  forsaken  grave  first,  as  Christianity  rose 
'  Gunsaulus,  Paths  to  the  City  of  God,  p.  238. 


i6o  Lives  Worth  Living 

out  of  the  tomb  in  which,  for  ten  centuries,  civiliza- 
tion had  slept  through  the  Middle  Ages.  Chivalry 
caught  the  word  from  her,  and  through  all  the 
mistakes  of  fanaticism,  the  ideal  woman  has  led 
the  world.  Says  Draper:  'Clotilda,  the  queen  of 
the  Franks,  brought  over  to  the  faith  her  husband 
Clovis;  Bertha,  the  queen  of  Kent,  and  Gisella,  the 
queen  of  Hungary,  led  the  way  in  their  respective 
countries.'  Greater  than  monks  or  lonely  priests 
were  the  captive  women  taken  from  the  south  of 
Europe  in  war,  to  civilize  the  north.  The  Greek 
wife  mentioned  by  Xenophon,  who  tended  her  sick 
slaves,  was  a  prophetess  of  that  womanhood  which 
would  produce  a  St.  Perpetua  for  martyrdom,  a 
Joan  of  Arc  for  sacrificial  love  of  liberty,  a  Florence 
Nightingale  for  tender  charity 

"Christianity  has  been  called  a  new  enthusiasm 
for,  and  the  enthusiasm  of,  humanity.  It  must, 
therefore,  not  only  propose  to  re-create  woman's 
life,  but  it  proposes  to  turn  the  power  of  the  re- 
created womanhood  upon  the  slow  world.  It  not 
only  found  new  powers  within  woman,  but  it  found 
new  uses  for  all  her  powers,  latent  and  manifest. 
And  so,  along  with  Christianity,  there  came  Mary 
and  Martha,  Lydia  and  Elizabeth,  Euodia  and 
Syntyche."^ 

So  history  teaches  that  as  it  is  the  Christ  that 
has  brought  to  womanhood  the  greatest  possession 

'  Gunsaulus,  op.  cit.,  p.  241. 


Woman  as  Interpreter  of  the  Faith     i6i 

of  her  life,  it  should  now  become  her  greatest 
responsibility  to  make  her  life  interpret  Chris- 
tianity to  her  generation.  An  interpreter  is  a 
discoverer,  a  revealer,  a  translator,  and  an  inter- 
preter of  the  faith  is  one  whose  word  or  act  or 
thought  reveals  the  love  of  God  and  the  meaning 
of  life  in  such  a  way  that  others  may  understand. 
We  readily  see  how  the  person  of  large  influence 
and  great  usefulness  is  able  to  interpret  Chris- 
tianity through  his  life-work.  But  Jesus  made  no 
discrimination  when  he  said  to  his  disciples  (drawn 
for  the  most  part  from  the  common  people),  "Ye 
are  the  light  of  the  world.  A  city  set  on  a  hill 
cannot  be  hid.  Neither  do  men  light  a  lamp,  and 
put  it  under  the  bushel,  but  on  the  stand;  and  it 
shineth  unto  all  that  are  in  the  house.  Even  so 
let  your  light  shine"  (Matt.  5:14-16). 

To  the  hundreds  of  Wellesley  young  women  who 
came  under  her  care,  Alice  Freeman  Palmer  was 
indeed  an  interpreter  of  the  faith.  As  she  herself 
once  expressed  it,  "I  am  trying  to  make  girls  wiser 
and  happier.  It  is  people  that  count — you  want 
to  put  yourself  into  people;  they  touch  other 
people;  then  others  still,  and  so  you  go  on  working 
forever."  And  as  her  husband.  Professor  Palmer, 
of  Harvard,  adds,  "She  adopted  the  idea  of  Jesus 
that  if  you  would  remold  the  world,  the  wise  way 
is  to  devote  your  fleeting  years  to  persistent  talks 
with  a  dozen  young  fishermen.     And   that  this 


i62  Lives  Worth  Living 

audacious  method  was  effective  in  her  small  degree, 
as  in  that  majestic  instance,  I  now  daily  perceive 
as  I  meet  with  those  who  once  were  almost  dead 
and  were  brought  to  living  fruitfulness  by  her 
ardent  patience."^ 

"In  the  pulpit  of  that  great  cathedral,  the  City 
Temple  of  London,  a  woman  one  day  stood  con- 
fronting a  vast  assembly.  Many  had  come,  curious 
to  see  this  great  sight — a  woman  in  Parker's  pulpit ; 
they  remained  to  be  awed  by  the  power,  the  refine- 
ment, the  inspiration  of  Catherine  Booth,  wife 
of  William  Booth,  general  of  the  Salvation  Army, 
as  she  cried, '  What  the  preaching  of  England  needs 
is  Sword. ^ 

"It  was  she  who,  from  the  gallery,  on  the  day 
of  his  revolt  from  the  church  of  which  he  had  been 
a  member,  when  the  question  of  his  submission  was 
before  the  Conference,  waved  her  handkerchief  and 
called  out  'Never!'  and  together  they  went  forth 
in  the  name  of  liberty  of  preaching. 

"It  was  she  who  sustained  and  advised  him  in 
the  dark  days  of  their  traveling  evangelism;  it 
was  she  who  conceived  the  idea  of  military  dis- 
cipline and  designed  the  dress,  at  least  of  the  women 
'soldiers';  it  was  she  who  was  counselor-in-chief 
to  the  Army,  especially  in  its  work  for  women,  and 
counselor-in-chief  to  the  General  until  she  died."^ 

'  Life  of  Alice  Freeman  Palmer,  p.  9. 
*  Professor  G.  A.  Johnston  Ross. 


Woman  as  Interpreter  of  the  Faith      163 

Here  was  an  interpreter  of  the  faith  in  warfare 
for  God ;  for  the  Salvation  Army  has  been  a  sword 
thrust  into  the  "heavy  sleepy  body,  first  of  English 
and  later  of  the  world's  religious  life."  Through 
her,  Christ  was  interpreted  to  a  struggling  human- 
ity who,  in  return,  gave  their  affection  and  their 
reverence  to  the  ''Mother  of  the  Army." 

We  have  seen  how  Florence  Nightingale  was  a 
pioneer  interpreter  of  the  faith  through  the  min- 
istries of  healing,  and  how  she  made  it  possible 
for  thousands  of  unknown  nurses  to  become  just 
such  other  interpreters  of  God's  loving  care  to 
sick  and  needy  souls  the  world  around. 

Recall  that  company  of  noble  women  who  have 
counted  "all  things  to  be  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus"  (Phil.  3:8)  and, 
going  out  into  the  Christless  places  of  the  world, 
as  did  Corinna  Shattuck,  have  interpreted  their 
faith  to  oppressed  and  ignorant  souls.  While  we 
cannot  mention  them  all  by  name,  our  hearts  de- 
light to  dwell  with  affection  upon  that  young  col- 
lege girl,  Dr.  Eleanor  Chestnut,  who  became  a 
martyr  for  China;  upon  Isabella  Thoburn,  who 
dreamed  great  dreams  for  the  women  of  India,  and 
upon  Ellen  Stone,  held  captive  by  brigands  in 
far-off  Macedonia. 

Recall,  also,  that  host  of  mothers  who,  like 
Hannah  of  old,  stand  beside  little  children  and  the 
young  people  of  our  homes,   with  one  hand  in 


164  Lives  Worth  Living 

blessing  upon  their  head,  while  the  other  points 
the  way  into  a  life  of  service.  They  are  no  less 
interpreters  of  the  faith  because  their  names  are 
unknown  to  the  world;  for  they  have  the  name  of 
the  Father  written  on  their  foreheads  and  their 
own  names  "are  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life"  (Rev.  21:27). 

Our  hearts  salute  that  army  of  interpreters  who, 
in  our  public  and  church  schools,  look  into  the 
faces  of  the  youth  of  our  land  and  try  to  interpret 
Hfe  to  them  in  the  spirit  of  the  great  Teacher. 

Mary  of  Bethany  and  Ruth  the  Moabitess 
interpreted  the  faith  in  terms  of  affection,  while 
Deborah's  interpretation  was  a  bugle  call  to  a 
holy  warfare.  But  the  varied  experience  of  them 
all  is  needed  for  the  complete  interpretation  of  the 
living,  growing  faith  that  has  come  down  to  us 
through  the  ages. 

To  many  who  are  standing  at  the  threshold  of 
life,  unable  to  see  that  they  have  any  gift  that  the 
world  needs,  comes  the  reassuring,  challenging 
word  of  the  Master,  spoken  in  the  familiar  parable 
of  the  Talents  (Matt.  25:14-29).  Each  of  the 
servants  received  something  for  the  use  of  which  he 
was  held  strictly  accountable.  The  servant  who 
considered  his  one  talent  too  insignificant  to  make 
use  of,  and  hid  it  out  of  sight,  had  it  taken  from  him; 
while  those  who  used  their  talents  had  other  talents 
given  them. 


Woman  as  Interpreter  of  the  Faith     165 

This  parable  is  a  summons  to  each  of  us  to  dis- 
cover and  use  the  talent  which  God  has  given  to  us 
or  implanted  within  us.  Here  is  the  help  and  com- 
fort needed  by  the  self-distrustful  young  woman 
when  she  finds,  not  only  the  need  before  her,  but 
the  God  above  her,  forbidding  the  neglect  of  her 
gift.  As  Paul  said  to  his  young  friend  Timothy, 
"Stir  into  flame  the  gift  of  God,  which  is  in  thee" 
(II  Tim.  1:6,  margin). 

However,  it  is  not  only  the  one-talent  servant, 
but  often  the  possessor  of  five  talents  who  is  at  a 
loss  to  discover  his  gift  and  place  of  service. 

After  several  years  of  uncertainty  and  painful 
waiting  Henry  Drummond,  the  great  interpreter 
of  the  faith  in  its  relation  to  science,  found  his 
gift,  and  summarizing  the  knowledge  which  this 
experience  taught  him  he  inscribed  upon  the  fly- 
leaf of  his  Bible  the  following  maxims,  which  will  be 
most  helpful  to  anyone  who  is  trying  to  discover 
his  gift  and  use  it: 

"To  find  out  God's  wiH,  first,  pray;  second, 
think;  third,  talk  to  wise  people,  but  do  not  regard 
their  decision  as  final;  fourth,  beware  of  the  bias 
of  your  own  will,  but  do  not  be  too  much  afraid 
of  it;  fifth,  do  the  next  thing."^ 

Having  found  our  gift,  we  must  remember  that 
it  is  given  us  for  service  in  the  community.  Paul 
makes  this  clear  when  he  says  that  each  one's 

'  G.  A.  Smith,  The  Life  of  Henry  Drummoid,  p.  127. 


1 66  Lives  Worth  Living 

gift  is  for  the  purpose  of  interpreting  the  spirit 
and  faith  of  Jesus  for  the  world's  profit  (I  Cor. 
12:7),  None  of  us,  therefore,  are  left  out  of,  or 
denied  the  privilege  of  a  share  in,  the  work  of 
interpreting  the  faith  by  means  of  our  gift.  In- 
deed, so  far  from  being  negligible,  we  are  necessary, 
as  necessary  for  the  full  efficiency  of  the  community 
as  the  humblest  organ  of  the  body  is  necessary  for 
the  health  and  efiiciency  of  the  whole  (I  Cor.  12:12- 
26).  So  it  is  by  the  use  of  our  gift  in  the  right 
spirit  that  we  interpret  that  part  of  the  faith  which 
is  most  vital  and  real  to  us. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  living  still 

In  spite  of  dungeons,  fire  and  sword, 

O,  how  our  hearts  beat  high  with  joy 
Whene'er  we  hear  that  glorious  word. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  holy  faith, 

We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  faith  and  prayer 
Have  kept  our  country  brave  and  free. 

And  through  the  truth  that  comes  from  God, 
Her  children  have  true  liberty! 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  holy  faith, 

We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  we  will  love 

Both  friend  and  foe  in  all  our  strife; 

And  preach  thee,  too,  as  love  knows  how, 
By  kindly  words  and  virtuous  life. 

Faith  of  our  fathers,  holy  faith, 

We  will  be  true  to  thee  till  death.' 

'F.  W.  Faber,  "Faith  of  Our  Fathers." 


Woman  as  Interpreter  of  the  Faith     167 

For  Continued  Thought 

What  God-given  talent  have  I  which  would  make 
more  complete  the  interpretation  of  the  faith  to 
the  world  in  which  I  live  ? 

Questions  for  Use  in  Teaching  or  Further  Study 

1.  In  what  ways  did  Christianity  emancipate  and 
develop  woman's  life  ? 

2.  What  can  she  give  the  world  as  an  expression  of 
her  gratitude  ? 

3.  Mention  ways  in  which  the  area  of  woman's 
life  has  been  enlarged  during  the  last  fifty  years.  How 
has  the  world  been  enriched  by  this  larger  service  ? 

4.  What  is  it  to  be  an  interpreter?  What  is  the 
meaning  of  the  expression,  "an  interpreter  of  the 
faith  "  ?  Has  woman  any  special  qualifications  for  this 
task? 

5.  What  is  prerequisite  to  becoming  such  an  inter- 
preter ? 

6.  Why  ought  we  to  hold  the  "faith  of  our  fathers" 
so  sacred?  Have  we  any  relation  to  it  except  to  pre- 
serve it  ? 

*7.  Study  several  great  hymns  of  the  church  which 
especially  reveal  this  faith. 

*8.  Read  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Hebrews  for  a 
study  of  faith. 

9.  Are  there  vocations  which  are  pre-eminenth- 
the  field  of  the  interpreter  ? 

10.  Is  there  any  vocation  which  does  not  provide 
an  opportunity  for  such  service  ? 


i68  Lives  Worth  Living 

11.  How  does  education  enable  us  to  discover  and 
to  widen  the  use  of  our  gifts  ? 

12.  What  do  you  think  of  the  maxims  of  Professor 
Drummond  ? 

13.  What  is  likely  to  happen  if  we  consider  our 
gift  too  insignificant  to  use? 

14.  Why  is  the  use  of  our  gift  necessary  for  the 
complete  interpretation  of  the  faith  ?  (I  Cor.  12 :  27-31). 

15.  Recall  the  characters  of  Mary  of  Bethany, 
Hannah,  Ruth,  Deborah,  Lydia,  and  Corinna  Shattuck, 
and  mention  the  part  each  had  as  an  interpreter  of  the 
faith. 

*i6.  Mention  the  names  of  women  of  modern  times, 
other  than  those  spoken  of  in  these  lessons,  who  seem 
to  you  conspicuous  examples  of  serviceable  lives. 

17.  Is  it  an  easy  thing  to  be  an  interpreter  of  the 
faith  ? 

*i8.  Are  you  willing  to  make  the  effort  necessary 
to  discover  your  gift  and  use  it  to  interpret  the  faith 
to  others  ? 

Reference  Books 

Gulick,  Luther  H.,  The  Efficient  Life. 

Gunsaulus,  Frank  W.,  Paths  to  the  City  of  God,  chap,  xii,  "Chris- 
tianity and  Woman." 

Hitchcock,  Edward,  Memoirs  of  Mary  Lyon. 

Palmer,  George  H.,  Life  of  Alice  Freeman  Palmer. 
*Parsons,  Frank,  Choosing  a  Vocation. 

Smith,  George  Adam,  The  Life  of  Henry  Drummond. 

Tucker,  William  J.,  Personal  Power. 

jVocational    Literature.     Vocational    Bureau,    6    Beacon    St., 
Boston. 


APPENDIX 

SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS 

The  value  of  this  course  of  lessons  is  not  to  be  found 
primarily  in  the  accumulation  of  separate  facts  week 
by  week,  but  rather  in  the  ever-widening 
circles  of  interest  and  influence,  which 
result  in  some  form  of  helpful  service.  Each  one  of 
the  characters  presented  emphasizes  the  truth  that 
''one  is  richest  in  soul  who  has  given  most  to  enrich 
other  souls,"  and  that  it  is  the  cup  of  cold  water  given 
in  Christ's  name  that  distinguishes  his  disciples. 

These  lessons  have  been  arranged  in  groups  of  two, 
the  first  being  in  most  cases  the  biographical  illustration 
of  the  second.  Hence  the  second  lesson  in  most  of  the 
chapters  may  be  said  to  be  the  one  for  which  the  first 
was  made,  and  the  two  should  be  thoroughly  studied 
before  attempting  to  teach  either.  The  teacher  will 
thus  recognize  the  unity  of  the  two  lessons  and  will 
assign  questions  and  topics  accordingly. 

Teacher  and  pupils  will  find  that  they  can  greatly 
increase  the  value  of  these  lessons  by  the  use  of  the 
books  listed  at  the  end  of  each  lesson.  The  teacher 
should  plan  the  outside  reading  and  make  assignments 
to  members  of  the  class.  Some  pupils  will  find  it  an 
advantage  to  select  one  book  for  the  entire  course,  while 
others  will  be  able  to  do  considerable  reading  in  con- 
nection with  each  lesson.  The  lists  given  are  large 
169 


170  Lives  Worth  Living 

enough  so  that  pupils  who  hav^  time  may  read  several 
books  on  the  same  subject.  Books  marked  with  an 
asterisk  (*)  should  be  read  by  as  many  of  the  class  as 
possible  and  will  be  found  in  most  public  libraries. 
Librarians  are  very  willing  to  give  assistance  in  the 
selection  of  books  and  also  to  buy  any  book  for  which 
there  is  a  demand.  The  books  marked  with  a  dagger 
(t)  are  in  pamphlet  form  and  need  to  be  secured  early 
in  the  course. 

The  teacher  will  probably  find  that  the  members  of 
the  class  will  be  more  interested  in  studying  the 
questions  requiring  thought,  and  in  reading  the 
reference  books,  after  the  lesson  has  been  presented 
in  class.  This  order  of  work  may  be  preferable,  as 
tending  to  create  in  the  student  an  enthusiasm  for 
the  subject  which  will  lead  her  to  read  the  reference 
books  much  more  thoroughly  than  she  otherwise 
would. 

All  questions  marked  with  an  asterisk  (*)  give 
opportunity  for  special  thought  and  continued  study. 

The  material  for  these  lessons  is  varied.  The  Bible 
references  come  first  and  are  fundamental.  At  least 
some  portion  of  the  supplementary  reading  suggested 
is  equally  important  in  order  that  both  teacher  and 
student  may  have  a  larger  outlook  upon  the  theme. 
The  class  should  have  access  to  a  dictionary  of  the 
Bible,  such  as  Hastings',  in  order  to  understand  the 
customs  and  local  conditions.  If,  in  addition,  a 
modern  commentary,  such  as  the  Cambridge  Bible  for 
Schools  and  Colleges,  can  be  consulted,  the  work  will 
be  still  further  illumined. 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  171 

The  limited  time  of  the  regular  session  of  the 
Sunday  school  will  often  prove  insufficient  for  a  thor- 
ough presentation  of  the  lesson.  It  is  hoped  that  many 
teachers  will  find  it  profitable  to  continue  most  of  the 
lessons  for  two  or  more  sessions  of  the  class,  thus 
extending  the  course  over  a  half-year. 

Opportunity  for  debate  and  the  use  of  special 
topics  is  left  largely  to  the  discretion  of  the  teacher. 
But  the  use  of  the  lecture  method  is  discouraged,  as  is 
also  such  discussion  as  is  likely  to  be  fruitless.  Inde- 
pendent, constructive  thinking  is  urged.  Indeed,  the 
teacher's  success  will  depend  largely  upon  her  ability 
to  hold  the  class  to  the  subject  presented  and  at  the 
same  time  to  allow  opportunity  for  sufficient  freedom 
and  spontaneity  in  discussion. 

Interest  is  sure  to  be  awakened  in  different  forms  of 
religious  and  social  service  which  should  be  allowed 
some  means  of  expression.  The  formation  of  a  week- 
day club  with  its  inside-work  and  outside-work  com- 
mittees, meeting  monthly  or  fortnightly,  will  be  a 
natural  development;  while  the  reading  and  dis- 
cussion of  one  or  more  of  the  reference  books  may  be 
made  a  valuable  part  of  the  program  for  the  club 
meetings. 

Although  the  Sunday  schools  of  today  are  better 
equipped  than  ever  before,  the  success  of  any  series  of 
lessons  depends  very  largely  upon  the  personality  of 
the  teacher  and  her  ability  to  detect  and  satisfy  the 
deepest  needs  of  the  individual  members  of  the  class. 
There  are  no  tools  that  take  the  place  of  devotion  and 
sympathetic  affection. 


172  Lives  Worth  Living 

Chapter  I — Lesson  I 

Mary  of  Bethany — The  True  Friend 

With  the  aid  of  maps,  encyclopedia,  and  Bible 
dictionary  have  as  a  background  for  this  lesson  a  dis- 
tinct picture  of  Bethany  and  Jesus'  friends  who  livgd 
there.  Live  with  Lazarus  and  his  sisters  in  imagina- 
tion until  they  seem  like  real  friends  in  some  distant 
village.  Then  will  Mary's  beauty  of  character  be  more 
fully  realized  and  her  distinct  gift  understood.  This 
study  should  ennoble  true  friendship  and  emphasize 
its  qualities  as  well  as  its  cost.  The  lesson  begins 
with  Mary;  but  properly  does  not  end  until  teacher 
and  class  become  true  friends  to  someone  who  needs 
their  help. 

One  Sunday-school  class  met  the  challenge  of  this 
lesson  by  adding  to  its  numbers  tw^o  young  women, 
one  somewhat  afflicted  and  consequently  shy  about 
meeting  those  of  her  own  age;  the  other  a  nervous 
invalid  who  for  months  had  not  left  her  bed,  but  who 
put  on  the  class  badge  with  the  others  and  met  them 
in  spirit  week  by  week. 

Chapter  I — Lesson  II 
Woman's  Opportunity  in  Friendship 

The  value  of  this  lesson  will  be  found  in  the  entrance 
it  gives  to  the  outside  world  of  beauty  and  life,  and  to 
the  inner  world  of  affection  and  sympathy.  It  will 
ennoble  the  daily  routine  if  the  teacher  can  arouse  in 
the  class  an  expectancy  for  opportunities  in  which 
to  show  friendly  attentions. 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  173 

This  lesson  may  profitably  be  extended  one  or  more 
weeks,  thus  allowing  time  for  the  class  to  report  on 
books  read,  trips  for  the  study  or  enjoyment  of  nature, 
and  the  results  of  following  the  suggestions  for  friend- 
liness under  the  paragraph  on  friendship  with  persons. 
In  this  connection,  the  influence  of  the  Social  Settle- 
ment, which  teaches  by  being  friendly;  the  Big  Brother 
and  Big  Sister  organizations;  the  work  of  the  Juvenile 
Court  and  Probation  Officer,  who  endeavor  to  save 
boys  and  girls  by  wise  sympathy;  the  Visiting  Nurse; 
the  Camp-Fire  Girls;  the  Boy  Scouts;  church  groups 
of  boys  and  girls,  and  many  other  such  agencies  may 
be  considered. 

Consider  the  different  ways  in  which  one  may  con- 
tinue his  education  through  life  as  a  means  of  constant 
enrichment. 

Mention  certain  occupations  which  offer  special 
opportunities  for  friendship,  the  teacher  emphasizing 
that  of  the  home-maker  in  preparation  for  chap.  ii. 

The  teacher  will  know  how  personal  to  make  the 
questions  in  regard  to  friendship  with  God.  This  is 
the  climax  of  the  lesson  and  should  receive  its  full  pro- 
portion of  time  and  consideration.  Avoid  superficial 
and  stereotyped  expressions.  The  lesson  offers  a 
special  opportunity  for  leading  the  pupils  to  make  the 
spiritual  life  supreme. 

Consult  the  newspapers  and  such  magazines  as 
the  Survey  for  incidents  in  answer  to  the  questions  for 
further  study. 

The  following  practical  suggestions  have  been 
found  helpful: 


174  Lives  Worth  Living 

Let  each  pupil  make  a  list  of  worth-while  books  she 
would  choose  for  a  three-foot  shelf,  and  give  the 
reasons  for  her  choice. 

Have  a  Saturday  afternoon  walking-club  for  the 
sake  of  good  comradeship  and  the  study  of  nature. 
Keep  a  notebook  for  the  record  of  interesting  dis- 
coveries. 

Urge  each  pupil  to  have  a  hobby  and  make  col- 
lections. A  small  boy  in  a  crowded  city  block  had 
splendid  success  raising  flowers  in  boxes  on  the  roof 
of  an  adjoining  building.  Back  yards  and  vacant  lots 
have  often  been  transformed  into  gardens. 

Have  the  members  of  the  class  put  in  practice  for  a 
week  Alice  Freeman  Palmer's  rules,  keeping  a  record 
of  the  results  and  reporting  at  some  later  meeting  of 
the  class. 

Chapter  II — Lesson  III 
Hannah — A  Noble  Mother 

Make  the  story  of  Hannah  very  real  to  the  class,  so 
that  the  members  may  feel  a  personal  interest  in 
Elkanah's  household. 

Let  Hannah  be  a  revelation  of  the  guiding  influence 
a  true  mother  may  have  in  her  home,  considering  also 
the  attractions  which  constantly  draw  young  women 
away  from  the  home  and  make  them  unwilling  tc 
assume  the  responsibilities  of  motherhood. 

This  lesson  should  result  in  a  more  worthy  apprecia- 
tion of  one's  own  mother  and  the  realization  that  hei 
unselfish  labor  through  the  years  finds  its  highest 
reward  in  the  excellence  of  her  children. 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  175 

For  the  larger  interpretation  of  tliis  chapter  have 
the  class  understand  clearly  that  the  home  spirit  is 
not  dependent  upon  having  a  home  of  one's  own. 
Mrs.  Mary  Hemingway  writes  of  a  missionary,  "she 
had  a  genius  for  home-making.  If  it  were  only  a  bare 
room  in  a  Chinese  inn,  within  a  few  moments  she  could 
bring  cheer  and  homelikeness."  We  all  know  such 
people. 

Be  sure  to  ask  the  class  for  the  results  of  their  study 
of  mothers,  as  suggested  for  further  study  at  the  close 
of  the  lesson.  This  will  make  an  interesting  intro- 
duction to  the  following  lesson. 


Chapter  II — Lesson  IV 
Woman's  Privilege  in  the  Home 

This  is  so  important  a  subject  that  two  or  even 
three  lessons  may  profitably  be  spent  upon  it  by 
most  classes.  A  possible  division  of  the  subject 
might  be:  (i)  the  home  and  the  family;  (2)  the  home 
and  the  community;  with  an  entire  lesson  for  each 
subject. 

If  the  teacher  has  become  acquainted  with  the  homes 
of  her  pupils,  her  suggestions  will  prove  much  more 
helpful,  since  she  can  lay  stress  upon  the  problems  and 
difficulties  which  have  been  found  in  the  actual 
experience  of  the  class.  If  not,  she  should  seek  to 
lead  the  class  to  discuss  the  problems  that  they 
actually  face. 

Secure  from  the  Perry  Pictures  Company,  Maiden, 
Massachusetts,  penny  copies  of  the  picture  entitled 


176  Lives  Worth  Living 

"Morning  Prayers  in  the  Family  of  Sebastian  Bach," 
by  Rosenthal,  and  notice  how  music  and  religion 
ennobled  the  life  of  that  family. 

A  class  party  at  the  home  of  cne  teacher  would  be  one 
of  the  best  applications  of  this  lesson,  especially  if  the 
class  is  made  up  of  working  girls  in  a  city.  A  certain 
Sunday-school  teacher  after  such  an  evening  was 
surprised  to  have  one  of  her  girls  remark  as  she  said 
goodnight,  "This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  in  a 
home  since  I  came  to  the  city  two  years  ago!"  The 
same  teacher,  when  offering  to  call  upon  one  of  her 
pupils,  was  asked  not  to  come.  "I  have  no  place 
where  I  could  have  a  caller,"  said  the  girl,  "and  I  have 
to  do  my  laundry  work  evenings." 

These  are  but  suggestions  of  "follow-up"  methods 
which  the  teacher  may  find  helpful  in  establishing  the 
home  atmosphere  for  some  of  her  own  pupils. 

If  the  members  of  the  class  have  their  own  homes, 
'there  is  hardly  a  limit  to  the  various  subjects  which 
may  be  discussed  in  connection  with  this  lesson. 


Chapter  III — Lesson  V 
Deborah — A  Champion  of  Israel 

A  clear  understanding  of  the  historical  background 
of  this  lesson  will  be  found  necessary  rightly  to  interpret 
these  varying  events.  Note  how  the  writer  of  the 
first  three  chapters  of  Judges  exposes  in  unsparing 
language  the  infidelity  of  Israel.  He  seems  the  mouth- 
piece of  Jehovah  as  he  emphasizes  over  and  over  again 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  177 

the  divine  law  that  disobedience  always  brings  punish- 
ment; that  Jehovah  is  the  only  true  God,  and  that 
Israel  will  always  be  severely  punished  when  she  turns 
aside  to  worship  other  gods. 

Have  the  class  realize  that  Deborah's  success  was 
preceded  by  years  of  patient  preparation  before  she 
was  able  to  arouse  oppressed  Israel.  Point  out  the 
value  of  leadership  and  prove  that  the  highest  motives 
and  the  right  spirit  are  necessary  if  one  is  worthily  to 
respond  to  its  challenge. 

This  lesson  also  teaches  the  value  of  united  leader- 
ship. We  have  not  only  Deborah,  but  also  Barak  and 
the  people  who  "offered  themselves  willingly."  Each 
of  these  received  the  reward  that  always  comes  to  those 
who  give  what  costs  something.  "Whosoever  would 
save  his  life  shall  lose  it;  but  whosoever  shall  lose 
his  life  for  my  sake,  the  same  shall  save  it"  (Luke  9: 24), 
is  the  New  Testament  way  of  expressing  it.  If  atten- 
tion is  called  to  the  elements  of  cruelty,  and  evidences 
of  imperfect  moral  ideals  in  the  story,  these  should  be 
neither  glossed  over  nor  excused,  except  to  point  out 
that  they  were  according  to  the  standards  of  that  age. 
But  it  is  not  for  these  that  we  are  studying  this  story, 
and  as  little  time  as  possible  should  be  given  to  them. 

In  preparation  for  the  following  lesson,  ask  the  class 
to  be  on  the  lookout  during  the  week  for  instances  in 
our  public  life  where  the  spirit  of  Deborah  is  sounding 
the  alarm  and  the  people  are  offering  themselves 
willingly,  "for  the  help  of  Jehovah  against  the  mighty." 
Note  especially  those  instances  where  a  woman  is  the 
leader. 


178  Lives  Worth  Living 

Chapter  III — Lesson  VI 
Woman's  Public  Influence 

This  lesson  offers  an  opportunity  to  the  teacher  to 
broaden  the  vision  of  what  it  means  to  be  an  efficient 
woman  in  the  community.  No  teacher  can  ask  for  a 
larger  task  than  to  be  able  to  point  out  to  her  class  the 
way  to  a  life  of  unselfish  service  for  others.  Let  the 
end  and  aim  of  all  service  as  expressed  in  Matt.  25:40 
be  kept  clearly  in  mind  in  the  teaching  of  the  lesson. 
The  varying  needs  to  which  woman  is  especially 
adapted  to  minister  should  be  made  very  clear  and 
definite,  so  that  there  may  be  awakened  a  desire  to 
help  in  meeting  them. 

The  best  discussions  are  those  among  the  members 
of  the  class,  the  teacher  simply  guiding  the  thought  into 
helpful  and  suggestive  channels.  This  will  be  found 
to  be  true  even  with  the  questions  on  suffrage,  where 
there  is  sure  to  be  much  difference  of  opinion. 

Let  the  teacher  ask  each  member  of  the  class  to  make 
a  special  study  of  some  woman  whose  public  influence 
is  well  known.  If  the  pupil  could  come  into  personal 
touch  with  such  a  woman,  the  experience  would  add 
interest  to  the  lesson. 

In  preparation  for  next  week's  lesson  the  pupils 
should  be  asked  to  read  the  Book  of  Ruth  at  one  sitting, 
just  as  they  would  read  and  enjoy  any  short  story, 
while  the  teacher  herself  should  read  the  introductory 
paragraph  at  the  beginning  of  the  next  lesson  that  she 
may  enkindle  the  interest  of  her  class  to  make  a  worthy 
preparation  for  the  study  of  Ruth,  the  immigrant. 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  179 

Chapter  IV — Lesson  VII 
Ruth — The  Immigrant 

In  this  lesson  nothing  will  take  the  place  of  a 
careful  reading  and  re-reading  of  the  Book  of  Ruth. 
As  suggested  in  the  last  lesson,  the  teacher  must  awaken 
the  interest  of  the  pupils  in  the  story  sufficiently  for 
them  to  be  willing  to  do  this,  one  delightful  method 
being  to  present  the  lesson  for  the  first  time  in  its 
dramatized  form.  This  will  give  a  familiarity  with  the 
story  and  the  words  of  the  text,  if  the  different  charac- 
ters are  represented  by  members  of  the  class.  It 
might  be  found  helpful  to  give  this  in  costume  at  some 
social  gathering  of  the  entire  Sunday  school. 

Interest  must  also  be  aroused  in  Ruth  as  an  immi- 
grant, by  considering  the  reason  for  her  becoming 
one,  the  conditions  she  met  in  a  strange  land,  and 
the  happy  outcome.  This  will  prepare  the  way  for 
the  next  lesson  with  its  study  of  women  immigrants 
in  our  own  country. 

Chapter  IV — Lesson  VIII 

Women  Immigrants  in  America 

The  purpose  of  this  lesson  on  immigration  is  to 
awaken  an  appreciation  of  our  own  national  ideals, 
and  a  sympathetic  attitude  toward  the  people  ot 
other  countries  who  are  helping  us  make  "the  new 
America."  As  the  subject  of  immigration  is  so  widely 
discussed  in  our  magazines  and  papers,  and  so  manv 


i8o  Lives  Worth  Living 

helpful  books  have  recently  appeared,  the  teacher  will 
find  ample  material  suggested  for  two  or  more  lessons. 
Points  of  special  emphasis  should  be:  From  what 
lands  and  conditions  of  life  have  these  immigrants 
come?  What  do  they  bring  to  us?  What  do  they 
find  here  ?  How  are  we  helping  them  ?  What  remains 
to  be  done  ? 

Memorize  the  hymn  at  the  beginning  of  the  lesson 
written  by  Katherine  Lee  Bates,  and  have  it  sung  by 
the  class  to  the  tune  of  "Materna,"  which  may  be 
found  in  most  church  hymn  books. 

To  awaken  further  interest  in  the  immigrant  and  his 
family,  nothing  is  more  suggestive  than  to  make  a  sur- 
vey of  the  neighborhood  or  town  or  city  in  which  one 
lives.  Indicate  on  a  map  of  as  large  a  size  as  possible 
the  homes  or  rooming-houses  of  immigrants.  Note 
the  conditions  under  which  they  live.  Locate  on 
the  map  all  helpful  influences,  such  as  schools,  libraries, 
and  churches  and  settlements;  also  the  harmful  influ- 
ences, such  as  saloons  or  dance  halls.  Make  careful 
inquiries  as  to  what  use  is  being  made  of  all  these 
institutions  by  the  immigrant.  Find  some  right 
way  to  become  acquainted  with  these  people,  especially 
the  women,  so  that  you  may  be  a  friendly  visitor  in 
their  homes  or  a  "big  sister"  to  their  children.  Dis- 
courage all  disrespect  shown  to  them  in  the  use  of 
such  nicknames  as  "dago,"  "nigger,"  "sheeny," 
"Jap,"  "chink."  Encourage  the  immigrant  to  tell 
you  of  his  fatherland  and  its  national  heroes. 

Find  a  common  ground  of  interest  with  the  maids  in 
your  own  home.     A  bit  of  Norwegian  embroidery,  or  a 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  i8i 

recipe  for  Danish  cakes  may  be  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing real  happiness  to  the  immigrant  girl  living  under 
your  own  roof.  This  is  a  class  of  inmiigrants  for  which 
perhaps  least  is  being  done,  and  who  live  closest  to  us. 

After  you,  individually,  are  enlisted  in  the  work, 
interest  someone  else.  Try  to  have  the  local  church 
open  its  doors  and  provide  stereopticon  lectures  of  a 
nature  that  can  readily  be  understood,  even  by  the 
newly  arrived  immigrant.  A  church  in  Boston  held 
international  socials  once  a  month,  the  guests  being  the 
foreigners  of  the  neighborhood,  who  were  invited  to 
wear  national  costumes,  while  national  songs  and 
tableaux  made  up  the  program. 

Make  a  careful  record  of  the  conditions  as  you  find 
them  and  confer  with  the  leaders  of  your  home  or  city 
missionary  societies,  who  will  gladly  render  you 
assistance  in  such  work. 


Chapter  V — Lesson  IX 
Lydia — A  Christian  Business  Woman 

A  delightful  preparation  for  this  study  of  Lydia  will 
be  found  in  the  interesting  description  of  the  city  of 
Philippi  and  adjoining  country  as  pictured  by  Robert 
Bird  in  his  book  Paul  of  Tarsus,  pp.  247-64;  also  the 
chapter  entitled  "St.  Paul  in  Macedonia,"  under  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  in  the  Expositor's  Bible.  Use  a  map  to 
locate  all  the  places  mentioned.  After  reading  the 
lesson  story  in  Acts  16:6-40,  read  the  entire  letter  to 
the  Philippians  as  the  letter  Paul  wrote  to  the  church  at 
Philippi  several  years  later.    This  will  give  perspective 


i82  Lives  Worth  Living 

and  atmosphere.  Emphasize  in  the  lesson  the  valuable 
results  that  often  come  from  small  beginnings;  con- 
trast the  business  that  is  carried  on  for  money  gains 
and  that  which  is  conducted  for  the  achievement  of 
high  and  noble  ideals.  Illustrate  by  using  concrete 
examples  from  the  business  life  of  your  own  .town  or 
city.  Make  Lydia  live  to  your  class.  One's  imagina- 
tion will  not  go  far  from  a  true  portrait  if  one  will  hold 
carefully  in  mind  the  few  glimpses  that  Luke  has  given 
us.  The  last  two  questions  of  those  for  further  study 
prepare  the  way  for  the  following  lesson. 

Chapter  V — Lesson  X 
Woman's  Place  in  Industry 

Nothing  will  impress  the  thought  of  this  lesson  more 
deeply  than  for  the  teacher  and  her  class  to  come  in 
touch  with  some  group  of  working  girls  in  their  own 
neighborhood  or  city,  or  to  make  some  personal  investi- 
gations of  store  or  factory  conditions.  Try  to  find 
ways  in  which  your  church  may  become  a  friendly  place 
to  the  young  woman  who  toils,  and  be  a  "big  sister" 
to  some  young  cash  girl  who  longs  for  recreation  and  a 
good  time,  and  who  will  be  tempted  to  look  for  it  under 
unsafe  conditions  unless  some  good  friends  provide 
legitimate  fun. 

As  women  have  not  as  yet  been  able  to  compete  with 
men  in  the  highest  positions  in  the  industrial  world, 
there  are  only  a  few  conspicuous  examples  of  business 
women  whose  success  has  equaled  that  of  men.  But 
be  sure  to  find  out  all  you  can  about  Madame  Bouci- 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  183 

cault,  manager  and  owner  of  the  Bon  Marche  in  Paris, 
as  skilful  and  expert  a  leader  of  industry  as  any  man. 
Then,  in  preparation  for  next  week's  lesson,  read  the 
booklet  issued  by  the  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of 
the  Interior  (Congregational),  Chicago,  and  entitled 
Corinna  Shattuck — Missionary  Heroine,  for  an  example 
of  a  captain  of  industry  who  succeeded  under  most 
unusual  and  trying  circumstances. 


Chapter  VI — Lesson  XI 
Corinna  Shattuck — Missionary  Heroine  of  Oorfa 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  study  history  is  by  means 
of  biography.  As  Emerson  once  said,  "  the  only  history 
is  biography."  And  there  is  no  more  fruitful  way  to 
study  missions  than  to  become  acquainted  with  the 
heroes  and  heroines  of  the  faith,  who  in  out-of-the-way 
places  and  under  the  most  difficult  conditions  have  lived 
a  life  of  self-sacrificing  service.  Let  the  teacher  who 
feels  that  her  own  interest  and  enthusiasm  are  not 
sufficient  to  meet  the  requirement  of  this  lesson  read 
from  beginning  to  end  that  booklet  issued  by  the 
Young  People's  Missionary  Movement,  by  Dr.  Joseph 
Clark,  entitled  The  Smoke  of  a  Thousand  Villages, 
and  she  will  get  a  vision  of  the  missionary  opportunity 
of  the  Sunday  school  and  its  appeal  to  young  people 
that  will  enable  her  to  make  the  life  of  Corinna  Shattuck 
a  concrete  example  of  the  missionary  motive  and  pas- 
sion. 

Miss  Shattuck's  unusual  ability  as  an  organizer  of 
industry  under  almost  impossible  conditions  makes 


1 84  Lives  Worth  Living 

the  study  of  her  life  follow  naturally  the  last  two 
lessons. 

But  for  those  classes  that  prefer  to  study  the  life  of  a 
missionary  of  their  own  denomination  the  names  of 
Isabella  Thoborn  of  India  (Methodist);  Dr.  Mary 
Eddy  of  Syria  (Presbyterian);  Charlotte  Tucker  of 
England  (Church  of  England);  and  Ann  Hasseltine 
Judson's  work  for  the  Burmese  (Baptist)  are  sug- 
gested. The  denominational  boards  of  foreign  mis- 
sions will  gladly  give  information  and  supply  additional 
literature  in  regard  to  the  work  of  any  of  their 
missionaries. 

In  these  days,  when  the  missionary  movement  has 
so  much  to  do  with  the  shaping  of  a  national  life,  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  must  put  into  the  life  of  her 
scholars  not  only  Bible  facts  but  the  missionary  impulse 
of  the  Bible.  Missionary  biography  is  of  special  service 
to  the  teacher  at  just  this  point,  for  it  always  leads  up 
to  the  question,  "Why  did  she  do  it?"  Some  in  the 
class  may  be  inclined  to  express  it  as  the  disciples  did, 
when  the  woman  poured  out  the  precious  ointment  as 
a  token  of  her  affection  for  Jesus,  "To  what  purpose 
is  this  waste?"  The  teacher  must  be  prepared  to 
meet  the  objections  that  still  continue  to  be  raised  in 
regard  to  foreign  missions,  but  it  would  be  most  unfor- 
tunate to  have  this  the  climax  of  the  lesson.  Rather, 
let  the  heroism  and  devotion  of  such  a  life  as  that  of 
Corinna  Shattuck  suggest  the  more  personal  question, 
"What  is  my  part  toward  completing  the  task  that 
Jesus  began  and  these  noble  men  and  women  have 
been  carrying  on  ?  " 


Suggestions  for  Teachers  185 

Some  of  the  class  may  be  interested  to  look  up  the 
new  constitution  in  Turkey  and  the  Young  Turk  party; 
the  writings  of  the  sages  of  Edessa;  or  the  work  in 
Oorfa  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Francis  H.  Leslie,  the  successors 
of  Miss  Shattuck,  which  the  x\merican  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  at  Boston  can  supply. 


Chapter  VI — Lesson  XII 

Florence  Nightingale — Pioneer  in  a  Profession 

This  lesson  is  intended  to  emphasize  the  service  that 
may  be  rendered  to  the  world  by  the  trained  worker. 
In  your  group  of  young  women  there  may  be  several 
college  girls  who  need  to  realize  life's  challenge.  There 
are  certainly  those  who  could  have  special  training  if 
they  were  made  to  feel  that  it  was  worth  while.  The 
life-work  of  Florence  Nightingale  gives  the  teacher 
the  opportunity  to  make  both  of  these  groups  of  young 
people  feel  their  responsibility  to  match  the  world's 
need  with  the  particular  service  they  are  best  fitted  to 
give.  This  thought  is  further  developed  in  the  next 
lesson  on  "Woman  as  an  Interpreter  of  the  Faith," 
which  considers  more  definitely  the  question  of  personal 
gifts. 

The  teacher  should  encourage  the  class  to  look  for 
as  many  examples  as  possible  of  the  splendid  work  done 
by  women  in  the  professions.  This  will  stimulate  the 
desire  to  take  a  share  in  such  work  themselves,  suggest 
a  closer  study  of  one's  own  abilities,  and  how  to  apply 
them  to  satisfy  the  need. 


i86  Lives  Worth  Living 

The  magazines  frequently  have  articles  on  the  work 
of  women  along  professional  lines.  Read  in  the 
American  Magazine  for  October,  19 14,  an  account  of  the 
interesting  work  of  Ida  M.  Tarbell,  a  prominent 
journalist,  and  in  the  February,  191 5,  number  of  the 
same  magazine  that  of  Anne  C.  Tyler,  New  York's 
"Story  Lady." 


Chapter  VT — ^Lesson  XIII 
Woman  as  an  Interpreter  of  the  Faith 

Let  the  teacher  begin  the  study  of  this  lesson  with 
the  genuine  desire  to  measure  honestly  her  own  work, 
as  an  interpreter  of  the  faith,  before  attempting  to 
interpret  the  work  of  others.  This  will  lead  her 
to  question  thoughtfully  her  own  motives  and  ideals  and 
the  influence  of  her  message  upon  the  lives  of  others. 
It  may  take  some  time  before  she  is  able  to  answer 
satisfactorily  the  questions,  "How  much  does  'the 
faith'  really  mean  to  me?"  and  "How  rich  a  faith  am 
I  revealing  to  others?"  The  more  time  the  teacher 
is  able  to  give  to  purposeful  meditation  on  the  truths 
of  this  lesson,  the  more  valuable  will  be  her  expression 
of  them  at  the  lesson  hour. 

Lead  the  class  to  sing  the  hymn  found  in  the  Lesson 
Comments,  "Faith  of  Our  Fathers,"  to  the  tune  of 
St.  Catherine;  also  other  great  hymns  of  the  faith 
that  you  especially  enjoy.  Let  them  make  them  their 
own  by  memorizing  them. 

For  many  in  the  class  the  question  of  fitting  them- 
selves for  their  life-work  and  the  discovery  of  their 


Suggestions  for  Teachers     187 

gifts  will  be  of  vital  interest.  Here  is  an  opportunity 
to  give  hope  and  courage,  both  to  the  young  woman 
who  has  had  advantages  and  training  and  also  to  her 
less  fortunate  sister.  This  lesson  should  open  the  way 
for  many  an  intimate  talk  in  regard  to  the  personal 
life  of  the  pupils,  and  should  aim  to  send  both  the 
teacher  and  the  pupil  out  into  their  day's  work  with 
the  God-given  purpose  to  belong  to  that  great  company 
which  no  man  can  number,  who  in  their  daily  ministry 
are  the  interpreters  of  the  faith  to  a  waiting  world. 


THE  CONSTRUCTIVE  STUDIES 

The  Constructive_Studies  comprise  volumes  suitable 
for  all  grades,  from  kindergarten  to  adult  years,  in 
schools  or  churches.  In  the  production  of  these  studies 
the  editors  and  authors  have  sought  to  embody  not 
only  their  own  ideals  but  the  best  product  of  the 
thought  of  all  who  are  contributing  to  the  theory  and 
practice  of  modern  religious  education.  They  have 
had  due  regard  for  fundamental  principles  of  peda- 
gogical method,  for  the  results  of  the  best  modern 
biblical  scholarship,  and  for  those  contributions  to 
religious  education  which  may  be  made  by  the  use  of 
a  religious  interpretation  of  all  life-processes,  whether 
in  the  field  of  science,  literature,  or  social  phenomena. 

Their  task  is  not  regarded  as  complete  because  of 
having  produced  one  or  more  books  suitable  for  each 
grade.  There  will  be  a  constant  process  of  renewal 
and  change,  and  the  possible  setting  aside  of  books 
which,  because  of  changing  conditions  in  the  religious 
world  or  further  advance  in  the  science  of  religious 
education,  no  longer  perform  their  function,  and  the 
continual  enrichment  of  the  series  by  new  volumes  so 
that  it  may  always  be  adapted  to  those  who  are 
taking  initial  steps  in  modern  religious  education,  as 
well  as  to  those  who  have  accepted  and  are  ready  to 
put  into  practice  the  most  recent  theories. 

As  teachers  profoundly  interested  in  the  problems  of 
religious  education,  the  editors  have  invited  to  co- 
operate with  them  authors  chosen  from  a  wide  territory 
and  in  several  instances  already  well  known  through 
practical  experiments  in  the  field  in  which  they  are 
asked  to  write. 


The  editors  are  well  aware  that  those  who  are  most 
deeply  interested  in  religious  education  hold  that 
churches  and  schools  should  be  accorded  ]:)erfect 
independence  in  their  choice  of  literature  regardless  of 
publishing-house  interests  and  they  heartily  sympa- 
thize with  this  standard.  They  realize  that  many 
schools  will  select  from  the  Constructive  Studies  such 
volumes  as  they  prefer,  but  at  the  same  time  they 
hope  that  the  Constructive  Studies  will  be  most  widely 
serviceable  as  a  series.  The  following  analysis  of  the 
series  will  help  the  reader  to  get  the  point  of  view  of 
the  editors  and  authors. 

KINDERGARTEN,  4-6  YEARS 

The  kindergarten  child  needs  most  of  all  to  gain 
those  simple  ideals  of  life  which  will  keep  him  in  har- 
mony with  his  surroundings  in  the  home,  at  play,  and 
in  the  out-of-doors.  He  is  most  susceptible  to  a  reli- 
gious interpretation  of  all  these,  which  can  best  be 
fostered  through  a  program  of  story,  play,  handwork, 
and  other  activities  as  outlined  in 

The  Sunday  Kindergarten  (Ferris).  A  teachers'  manual 
giving  directions  for  the  use  of  a  one-  or  two-hour 
period  with  story,  song,  play,  and  handwork.  Per- 
manent and  temporary  material  for  the  children's 
table  work,  and  story  leaflets  to  be  taken  home. 

PRIMARY,  6-8  YEARS,  GRADES  I-III 

At  the  age  of  six  years  when  children  enter  upon  a 
new  era  because  of  their  recognition  by  the  first  grade 
in  the  public  schools  the  opportunity  for  the  cultivation 
of  right  social  reactions  is  considerably  increased. 
Their  world  still,  however,  comprises  chiefly  the  home, 
the  school,  the  playground,  and  the  phenomena  of 


nature.  A  normal  religion  at  this  time  is  one  which 
will  enable  the  child  to  develop  the  best  sort  of  life 
in  all  these  relationships,  which  now  present  more 
complicated  moral  problems  than  in  the  earlier  stage. 
Religious  impressions  may  be  made  through  inter- 
pretations of  nature,  stories  of  hfe,  song,  prayer,  simple 
scripture  texts,  and  handwork.  All  of  these  are 
embodied  in 

Child  Religion  in  Song  and  Story  (Chamberlin  and  Kern). 
Three  interchangeable  volumes,  only  one  of  -which  is 
used  at  one  time  in  all  three  grades.  Each  lesson  pre- 
sents a  complete  service,  song,  prayers,  responses,  textsi 
story,  and  handwork.  Constructive  and  beautiful 
handwork  books  are  provided  for  the  pupil. 

JUNIOR,  9  YEARS,  GRADE  IV 

When  the  children  have  reached  the  fourth  grade 
they  are  able  to  read  comfortably  and  have  developed 
an  interest  in  books,  having  a  "reading  book"  in 
school  and  an  accumulating  group  of  story-books  at 
home.  One  book  in  the  household  is  as  yet  a  mystery, 
the  Bible,  of  which  the  parents  speak  reverently  as 
God's  Book.  It  contains  many  interesting  stories 
and  presents  inspiring  characters  which  are,  however, 
buried  in  the  midst  of  much  that  would  not  interest 
the  children.  To  help  them  to  find  these  stories  and 
to  show  them  the  living  men  who  are  their  heroes  or 
who  were  the  writers  of  the  stories,  the  poems,  or 
the  letters,  makes  the  Bible  to  them  a  living  book 
which  they  will  enjoy  more  and  more  as  the  years 
pass.     This  service  is  performed  by 

An  Introduction  to  the  Bible  for  Teachers  of  Children  (Cham- 
berlin). Story-reading  from  the  Bible  for  the  school 
and  home,  designed  to  utilize  the  growing  interest  in 
books  and  reading  found  in  children  of  this  age,  in 


cultivating  an  attitude  of  intelligcnL  interest  in  the 
Bible  and  enjoyment  of  suitable  portions  of  it.  Full 
instructions  with  regard  to  picturesque,  historical,  and 
social  introductions  are  given  the  teacher.  A  pupil's 
homework  book,  designed  to  help  him  to  think 
of  the  story  as  a  whole  and  to  express  his  thinking, 
is  provided  for  the  pupil. 

JUNIOR,  10-12  YEARS,  GRADES  V-VII 

Children  in  the  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  grades  are 
hero-worshipers.  In  the  preceding  grade  they  have 
had  a  brief  introduction  to  the  life  of  Jesus  through 
their  childish  explorations  of  the  gospels.  His 
character  has  impressed  them  already  as  heroic  and 
they  are  eager  to  know  more  about  him,  therefore  the 
year  is  spent  in  the  study  of 

The  Life  of  Jesus  (Gates).  The  story  of  Jesus  graphically 
presented  from  the  standpoint  of  a  hero.  A  teachei-'s 
manual  contains  full  instructions  for  preparation  of 
material  and  presentation  to  the  class.  A  partially 
completed  story  of  Jesus  prepared  for  the  introduction 
of  illustrations,  maps,  and  original  work,  together  with 
all  materials  required,  is  provided  for  the  pupil. 

In  the  sixth  grade  a  new  point  of  approach  to  some 
of  the  heroes  with  whom  the  children  are  already 
slightly  acquainted  seems  desirable.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment furnishes  examples  of  men  who  were  brave 
warriors,  magnanimous  citizens,  loyal  patriots,  great 
statesmen,  and  champions  of  democratic  justice.  To 
make  the  discovery  of  these  traits  in  ancient  characters 
and  to  interpret  them  in  the  terms  of  modern  boyhood 
and  girlhood  is  the  task  of  two  volumes  in  the  list. 
The  choice  between  them  will  be  made  on  the  basis  of 
preference  for  handwork  or  textbook  work  for  the 
children. 


Heroes  of  Israel  (Scares).  Stories  selected  from  the  Old 
Testament  which  are  calculated  to  inspire  the  imagina- 
tion of  boys  and  girls  of  the  early  adolescent  period. 
The  most  complete  instructions  for  preparation  and 
presentation  of  the  lesson  are  given  the  teacher  in  his 
manual.  The  pupil's  book  provides  the  full  text  of  each 
story  and  many  questions  which  will  lead  to  the  consid- 
eration of  problems  arising  in  the  life  of  boys  and  girls 
of  this  age. 

Old  Testament  Stories  (Corbett).  Also  a  series  of  stories 
selected  from  the  Old  Testament.  Complete  instruc- 
tions for  vivid  presentation  are  given  the  teacher  in 
his  manual.  The  pupil's  material  consists  of  a  note- 
book containing  a  great  variety  of  opportunities  for 
constructive  handwork. 

Paul  was  a  great  hero.  Most  people  know  him  only 
as  a  theologian.  His  life  presents  miracles  of  courage, 
struggle,  loyalty,  and  self-abnegation.  The  next  book 
in  the  series  is  intended  to  help  the  pupil  to  see  such  a 
man.  The  student  is  assisted  by  a  wealth  of  local 
color. 

Paul  of  Tarsus  (Atkinson).  The  story  of  Paul  which  is 
partially  presented  to  the  pupil  and  partially  the  result 
of  his  own  exploration  in  the  Bible  and  in  the  library. 
Much  attention  is  given  to  story  of  Paul's  boyhood 
and  his  adventurous  travels,  inspiring  courage  and 
loyalty  to  a  cause.  The  pupil's  notebook  is  similar  in 
form  to  the  one  used  in  the  study  of  Gates's  "Life  of 
Jesus,"  but  more  advanced  in  thought. 

HIGH  SCHOOL,  13-17  YEARS 

In  the  secular  school  the  work  of  the  eighth  grade 
is  tending  toward  elimination.  It  is,  therefore,  con- 
sidered here  as  one  of  the  high-school  grades.  In  the 
high-school  years  new  needs  arise.    There  is  necessary 


a  group  of  hooks  which  will  dignify  the  study  of  the 
Bible  and  give  it  as  history  and  literature  a  place  in 
education,  at  least  equivalent  to  that  of  other  histories 
and  literatures  which  have  contributed  to  the  progress 
of  the  world.  This  series  is  rich  in  biblical  studies 
which  will  enable  young  people  to  gain  a  historical 
appreciation  of  the  religion  which  they  profess.  Such 
books  are 

The  Gospel  According  to  Mark  (Burton).  A  study  of  the 
life  of  Jesus  from  this  gospel.  The  full  text  is  printed  in 
the  book,  which  is  provided  with  a  good  dictionary  and 
many  interesting  notes  and  questions  of  very  great 
value  to  both  teacher  and  pupil. 

The  First  Book  of  Samuel  (Willett).  Textbook  for  teacher 
and  pupil  in  which  the  fascinating  stories  of  Samuel, 
Saul,  and  David  are  graphically  presented.  The  com- 
plete text  of  the  first  book  of  Samuel  is  given,  many 
interesting  explanatory  notes,  and  questions  which 
will  stir  the  interest  of  the  pupil,  not  only  in  the  present 
volume  but  in  the  future  study  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  Life  of  Christ  (Burgess).  A  careful  historical  study  of 
the  life  of  Christ  from  the  four  gospels.  A  manual  for 
teacher  and  pupil  presents  a  somewhat  exhaustive  treat- 
ment, but  full  instructions  for  the  selection  of  material 
for  classes  in  which  but  one  recitation  a  week  occurs 
are  given  the  teacher  in  a  separate  outline. 

The  Hebrew  Prophets  (Chamberlin).  An  inspiring  presen- 
tation of  the  lives  of  some  of  the  greatest  of  the  prophets 
from  the  point  of  view  of  their  work  as  citizens  and 
patriots.  In  the  manual  for  teachers  and  pupils  the 
bibhcal  text  in  a  good  modern  translation  is  included. 

Christianity  in  the  Apostolic  Age  (Gilbert).  A  story  of 
early  Christianity  chronologically  presented,  full  of 
interest  in  the  hands  of  a  teacher  who  enjoys  the  his- 
torical point  of  view. 


In  the  high-school  years  also  young  people  find  it 
necessary  to  face  the  problem  of  living  the  Christian 
life  in  a  modern  world,  both  as  a  personal  experience 
and  as  a  basis  on  which  to  build  an  ideal  society.  To 
meet  this  need  a  number  of  books  intended  to  inspire 
boys  and  girls  to  look  forward  to  taking  their  places 
as  home-builders  and  responsible  citizens  of  a  great 
Christian  democracy  and  to  intelligently  choose  their 
task  in  it  are  prepared  or  in  preparation.  The  following 
are  now  ready: 

Problems  of  Boyhood  (Johnson).  A  series  of  chapters 
discussing  matters  of  supreme  interest  to  boys  and 
girls,  but  presented  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  boy. 
A  splendid  preparation  for  efficiency  in  all  life's  relation- 
ships. 
Lives  Worth  Living  (Peabody).  A  series  of  studies  of 
important  women,  biblical  and  modern,  representing 
different  phases  of  life  and  introducing  the  opportunity 
to  discuss  the  possibilities  of  effective  womanhood  in 
the  modern  world. 
The  Third  and  Fourth  Generation  (Downing).  A  series  of 
studies  in  heredity  based  upon  studies  of  phenomena 
in  the  natural  world  and  leading  up  to  important 
historical  facts  and  inferences  in  the  human  world. 

ADULT  GROUP     ~ 

The  Biblical  studies  assigned  to  the  high-school 
period  are  in  most  cases  adaptable  to  adult  class 
work.  There  are  other  volumes,  however,  intended 
only  for  the  adult  group,  which  also  includes  the 
young  people  beyond  the  high-school  age.  They  are 
as  follows: 

Great  Men  of  the  Christian  Church  (Walker).  A  series  of 
delightful  biographies  of  men  who  have  been  influential 
in  great  crises  in  the  history  of  the  church. 


Social  Duties  from  the  Christian  Point  of  View  (Henderson). 
Practical  studies  in  the  fundamental  social  relationships 
which  make  up  life  in  the  family,  the  city,  and  the 
state. 

Religious  Education  in  the  Family  (Cope).  An  illuminating 
study  of  the  possibilities  of  a  normal  religious  develop- 
ment in  the  family  life.     Invaluable  to  parents. 

Christian  Faith  for  Men  of  Today  (Cook) .  A  re-interpretation 
of  old  doctrines  in  the  light  of  modern  attitudes. 

The  Life  of  Christ  (Burton  and  Mathews).  A  careful 
historical  study  of  the  life  of  Christ  from  the  four 
gospels,  with  copious  notes,  reading  references, 
maps,  etc. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Constructive  Studies 
present  no  sectarian  dogmas  and  are  used  by  churches 
and  schools  of  all  denominational  affiliations.  In  the 
grammer-  and  high-school  years  more  books  are  pro- 
vided than  there  are  years  in  which  to  study  them, 
each  book  representing  a  school  year's  work.  Local 
conditions,  and  the  preference  of  the  Director  of 
Education  or  the  teacher  of  the  class  will  be  the  guide 
in  choosing  the  courses  desired,  remembering  that 
in  the  preceding  list  the  approximate  place  given  to 
the  book  is  the  one  which  the  editors  and  authors 
consider  most  appropriate. 

Prices  always  placed  at  the  minimum  but  liable 
to  change  from  year  to  year  may  be  learned  from  the 
latest  price  list.     Address  the 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 

CHICAGO  ....  ILLINOIS 


THE  IJBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  (  AI.IFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  1)1  E  ON  THE  EAST  DATE 
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lOOM  11/86  Series  9482 


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